


gяєєи єує∂ вєαυту

by Renegade_Reaper



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Also more to be added, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cardverse, Human Names Used, M/M, merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:01:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5890252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renegade_Reaper/pseuds/Renegade_Reaper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The King of Clubs were notorious for their love of the merfolk; each ruler had their own whims and fancies of them. The desire to obtain one was passed down generation after generation. But Gilbert is the only King thus far to actually own one!<br/>Falling in love with him was never the plan. But, in these things, it almost never is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allure of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is the beginning! Beginnings are always so much harder than the middles- But we'll get there! Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I will most likely go back and change this because this is more of a little splurge that turned into an idea right before bed.

They had finally done it.

It didn’t matter that the task had taken centuries of waiting and over two years to locate the right place, to find someone trustworthy to trade with. Not to mention the many anxiety attacks the very thought of failure alone brought up.

But as Gilbert, King of Clubs, stood proudly on the deck of one of his best naval ships, the sea spray dusting his cheeks and making his surreal appearance was simply enhanced, he felt very proud.

He was in possession of a mermaid.

And, as far as His Royal Highness knew, he was the only ruler with such a beast. The alluring creatures were held in high esteem in his Kingdom; just as Griffins were in the Spades Kingdom, and Dragons were in the Hearts Kingdom. Murals decorated the streets and alleyways of the villages, pendants and charms made by or crafted of the aquatic folk were worn proudly and exchanged regularly. The previous Kings had been in constant want of one of the beings they held so close to their own hearts, sometimes the fondness lapsing into dead-set obsessions. And Gilbert, after so many years, finally had one.

The albino King could barely contain his excitement as he was lead off the ship and onto the docks. His well sought out prize had been contained no more than a week previously and was being kept in a remote place to keep suspicions down. As far as his subjects were concerned, Gilbert was simply on a little fancy-free trip away from his royal duties.

This, of course, was not the case. The King of Clubs couldn’t keep the small, excited bounce from his walk as he followed a very amused official to the run-down, hardly frequented pub that was keeping his prize from him. Anticipation wormed its way into his belly, knotting his intestines as thoughts invaded his mind. _What if_ ’s and _Maybe_ ’s were quick to fill his head as he was ushered inside.

The pub itself was very old, bordering on ancient. The boards and supports holding the place together were termite and weather worn swaying and creaking a bit in the strong sea breeze. The man who owned the place was a retired war veteran, time worn and a bit creaky himself, but a kind gentleman nonetheless. He gave the young King a fond look, his watered down blue eyes twinkling with the familiar and kind light a grandfather would give a favored grandchild. “This way,” He said in his raspy voice, leaning heavily on a worn walking stick as he lead the small group to the back room. “’E’s a bit skittish, but ‘oo can blame th’ poor thing, aye?”

 _He._ It was a He.

Gil felt himself smiling brightly. Gender didn’t matter to him, and neither did behavior or anything of the likes. All that mattered was that he _finally_ had the one thing both he and his ancestors had wanted for the longest time.

But his nerves were getting the better of him; especially as the King was gently prodded towards the door. He found that his fingers were shaking as he gently set his hand on the door handle, his breath ceasing altogether as he pushed it open and stepped inside. The door closed behind him, severing the connection between him and all else. It was only him and the tank in the far corner.

When his crimson gaze landed on the container, Gilbert felt the breath literally taken away from his lungs.

His merman was beautiful.

The creature was all supple curves and ripples, his scales varying shades of red and gold the King found were very much to his liking. His skin was a pleasant tanned color that hinted to tropical regions. The creature’s features, however, were even more breathtaking than the rest of him was, though. Sharp, prominent cheekbones, alluring lips that were almost the same color as the rest of his skin, and eyes that slanted at the ends only slightly, barely visible to the untrained eye. The color of his eyes, however, were the thing that could send men and women alike to their knees. They were the brightest green, or could have been if the light in the room was brighter, and hinted at changing with his mood. At the moment, however, they were a dark green. Tropical islands and the deep sea’s color themselves.

Gilbert frowned, studying his new pet’s figure. His green eyes were wide and his tail had been coiled under him after the door had shut in one swift, fluid moment. His body was tensed, pressed up against the back of his confinement and as far away from the door as he could manage. He looked like a trapped animal, desperately trying to find a way out of this distressing situation.

He was scared.

No, scared wasn’t the right word for it. _Terrified_ seemed a better fit.

If you looked closely enough, his slender body was trembling ever so slightly as he tried to pull in on himself that much more.

The King was very unaccustomed to this kind of reaction, except on the battlefield. He wasn’t threatening, was he? Sure, he was a little tall, and had a sort of presence about him that exuded confidence and pride, but he wasn’t that terrifying. Gil’s eyes could be a tad, unnerving, yes, but still. His merman shouldn’t be acting this way. “Hey,” He said softly, so as not to frighten the celestial being more than he already was. He took a few cautious steps forward, slow and steady. The siren looked up at him, his eyes wary and filled to the brim with unadulterated fear. He was young, the King realized. Probably under a century old, what with his size. He was definitely littler than a full-grown male was. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Gilbert held up his hands, palms forward, in a placating gesture. The trapped being made no move, no reaction. The ruler took this as an opportunity to move closer, crouching a few feet shy of the glass wall of the tank. The merman had wrapped his arms around his trembling form in a sort of hug, likely trying to compose himself in front of the human.

“Hello there,” The King of Clubs smiled crookedly, resting his hands on his knees and doing his best to remain as not-intimidating as possible. The siren stared at him in wide eyed silence, his tail flicking nervously underneath him. “That doesn’t look like a very comfortable position. You can move, I promise I’ll stay right where I am.”

After a long, tense moment of silence, Gil’s new muse carefully stretched himself out, his long, shimmering tail glimmering dully in the sparse light. Gilbert had to catch his breath once again, taken by surprise once more at the sheer beauty of the new creature he was introducing to his life. “There you go.” He tilts his head to the side, his platinum hair hanging in his ruby colored eyes. “That’s a lot better, isn’t it?”

The King got no answer. He found that he hadn’t expected one. All he got was the steady gaze of the siren as he watched him, unsure what to make of this. No doubt he was still disoriented from being snatched away from his home no more than a week ago. He hadn’t even bothered to ask how his pet had been treated thus far; Gilbert felt more than a little guilty. The poor thing- No wonder he was so scared.

“I’m going to have a few of my men move you from here to my ship, alright? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they’re gentle so you don’t get hurt. Is that alright with you?” No answer. The King nods, rising to his feet before walking back over to the door.

The elderly barkeep who had helped them only a few minutes before was waiting eagerly at the door. He gave the King a hopeful look. “Well? Is ‘e to yer likin’, m’lord?” Gilbert gives regal nod, then grins and runs a hand through his hair, going his best not to sag to the floor due to his weak knees. “He’s gorgeous. Truly one of a kind- I wouldn’t want him any other way.”

The whole room seemed to be set at ease by his words; the barkeep heaved a great sigh and even his men’s posture relaxed a bit. The King grinned. “Well? What are we waiting for? Let’s get him on my ship! I want him home.”

And so began the newest chapter of The King of Club’s life.


	2. Trouble On Deck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little trouble happens on deck, stirring a bit of a fuss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Don't worry, I haven't stopped writing my other fic, I'm just having a little bot of writing it without getting distracted. So this one, shall we say, is my distraction fic! Sorry- I'll shut up now. Happy reading!

The King started to spend his free moments with his siren, either sitting in front of the tank and engaging in a staring contest, or simply sitting in a chair in the far corner and filling out documents or reading things here and there. There were times when Gilbert conversed with the merman (it was one sided, much to his dismay). He tried his very best to get the creature to talk with him, to give the King his name. He did not.

The crew was, at best, wary of the passenger. There were tales of angry merfolk dashing a ship to splinters on rocks, of merfolk luring unsuspecting sailors to their deaths with a simple song or enchantment. The crew was jumpy and quick to blame the siren for any inconsistencies with the weather or the state of the sea.

This annoyed the albino King. It was not the merman’s fault; he did nothing but lay in his tank and stare at him or the door. He did not even eat! There wasn’t any way he could think about doing such things, let alone actually do them. But, of course, Gilbert said nothing and only seethed in silence.

One particularly frustrating afternoon, he had been relaying his frustrations to the silent being, laying on his back a few feet away from the tank, hands laced behind his head. “They act like you’re going to turn into some sort of bloodsucking monster and eat them in the night- Lunatics. All of them. I promised them safety, and I would put them in front of you if I had to.” He hums, running a hand through his hair lazily, although his tone was one of contempt and frustration.

_”I would not touch them.”_

Gilbert jumped, his eyes widening as he scrambled into a sitting position. He stared at the creature sitting serenely in the tank, staring back at him with clear, bright eyes. He hadn’t spoke- not exactly. The words had seemed to form in his mind, oddly enough.

“Did you just-” The King spluttered, doing his best not to openly gape at the siren.

 _”What? Did you think I was incapable of communication?”_ The siren shuffled around the bottom of the tank a bit, situating himself into a more comfortable position before looking up at the human coolly.

“N-No, I didn’t! But… I didn’t think you could…” _Speak telepathically._ Gil shook his head, trying to rid it of any negativity in case the sentient being could _read_ minds as well.

_“I would not hurt them.”_

“Oh really?” Gilbert regained his Kingly composure, raising an eyebrow.

 _“Not unless they strike first.”_ The green eyed prisoner was giving him a disdainful look, as if the King ought to have known this in the first place. _“Otherwise, I will not lay a hand on them. Please tell this to your crew, I am quite tired of being tiptoed by. I will not bite through the glass.”_ The creature’s voice held a bit of a scoff, almost mocking the silly whims of the humans.

“To be fair, none of us have ever seen, er… one of your kind in person before. Only legends and murals.” He gave the siren a scandalous grin, winking and leaning forward a touch. “But I have to say, none of the stories truly do you justice.”

 _“Flattery will get you nowhere.”_ The siren tilted his head away, focusing on something else. But the King knew he was pleased. His tail flicked softly, the fin brushing gently against the side. He wasn’t preening, exactly, but his eyes held a sort of proud, regal glow that hadn’t been there before. Proud and regal. He was a perfect fit for the king.

“I dunno,” Gil hummed, leaning back on his hands, the lazy smirk returning. “I think it might get me somewhere.” The siren slid his alien, sharp gaze back over to him, annoyance and curiosity sparking in them. It suddenly struck Gil just how interesting his eyes were, despite how many hours he had spent staring into them. There were so many layers… A man could get lost in them.

He blinked, then shook his head, snapping himself back into the present. A thought occurred to him at once. “Do you have a name?”

_“I do.”_

“May I have it?”

For the first time, the merman smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile, and it wasn’t mean to be. It was a sharp one, full of pointed teeth and malice. No, he did not want to give his name. That would mean he would be giving his life to the human in finality. _“Will the moon have the sun? Will the sky have the sea?”_

Gilbert sat there a moment, troubled, before frowning. “I’m going to take that as a no.”

A laugh reverberated through his mind, an involuntary shiver running up his spine and making his blood run cold. He stared wide-eyed at the siren a moment, who studied him, seemed to decide that the human was not worth any more trouble, and turned his back to the front of the case.

After a tense, unsure silence, the King got to his feet and walked out of the room he was being kept in, the door closing behind him with a firm _clunk_. He spent the rest of the day in his thoughts, pacing the deck or staring out at the sea until the sun set, framing the ship and the water surrounding ocean with a light golden color. The night was peaceful and silent, only interrupted by the occasional gust of wind or spray of salt water. Only the men set on watch, who were even nodding off in the pleasant calm of the night, were out on the deck. All was calm.

Until a blood-curdling scream broke the silence in the dead of the night.

***

Gilbert found himself wide awake as he was rushed below deck, pulling a loose dressing gown over himself hastily, where pandemonium had broken out. He tried to get the story from his guards, but none knew what had happened. There were men shouting, some were arguing, and some wailing to one another in high, reedy voices.

The King tried to call out to gain order, but his voice was lost in the panicked throng. So, instead, he simply walked over to a wall, inspecting the board to make sure it would make a nice noise, and punched it as hard as he could.

_“Hey!”_

All noise ceased, all eyes turning to him. Suddenly the throbbing in his hand was less noticeable.

“What,” He began, his voice deathly calm. “Is going on?”

Many people tried speaking up at once, panic once again breaking out. Gil held up a hand, silence falling again. “You.” He indicated a man closest to him. “Tell me what’s happened.”

“Well, y’see, Your Highness, ol’ John went to see the mermaid an’ he was more ‘n’ a little drunk.” The man fidgeted nervously. “We tole ‘im not to do it, we did. Swear on me honor we did.” A few more men nodded in earnest agreement.

“Yes, but _what happened_?” The albino pressed. The man hiccupped, obviously a little inebriated himself.

“W-Well sir, John’d brought a knife with ‘im an’ he was teasing the creature, daring the thing to touch ‘im. Th’ creature didn’t do nothing, just sat there and watched him. B-But,” He hiccupped again. “Then John went after ‘im with th’ knife an’ the thing leapt out at him- Took his arm clean off!”

_I will not lay a hand on him. Not unless they strike first._

The King’s eyes widened and he stepped forward. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, giving him a full view of what had taken place. There was John, face-down in a pool of his own blood, obviously dead. The siren was huddled in the corner, shaking like a leaf in a windstorm, his arms and tail pulled up against his chest. His eyes were wide and unfocused, blood smeared on the corner of his mouth. There was a gash at the base of his tail, oozing a liquid that was a darker red than human blood.

An abrupt and hard rage settled in his chest, where a moment previously had been doubt and confusion.

_His merman was hurt._

The King walked over, crouching in front of the siren. The creature’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and pupils dilated. He was scared. Gilbert didn’t blame him. Instead, he leaned forward and picked him up, scooping his lithe body into his arms bridal style. A murmur of shock and outrage rippled through the onlooking crowd.

“Clean this up.” Gil indicated the dead sailor, trying to steady the struggling, distressed siren who was obviously wanting a place to hide. “Stop it,” He shushed him, trying to get him to calm down. “Relax. I won’t hurt you, remember?”

The merman gave him an uneasy, frightened look before slumping against his chest. He was still wet, but not very. Gil found himself worrying about him drying out. The two stepped through the dismayed crowd, both silent. One of the guards tried to stop him, but Gil gave him a curt word in the Clubs language, making him bow his head and step to the side in angered submission. The King swept through the crowd and back to his lavish cabin, whereupon the merman was set gently on the bed.

“Are you alright?” The King asked, crouching in front of him and looking up at him earnestly. The green eyed creature had averted his gaze, obviously trying to ignore the fact that he had lost his dignity and most certainly his pride by being in the arms of a human.

 _“Do not worry about me. You should be punishing me, not worrying.”_ His tail flicked idly, and a ripple of pain flashed through his otherwise calm features.

“Why would I punish you?” He asks, frowning and walking over to his writing desk, pulling out a few strips of material to bind the wound.

The siren looked up at him, surprised, before frowning himself. _“I killed one of your own. Is that not punishable by death.”_ It was not a question.

The albino King chuckled, kneeling before him and taking his tail gently into his hand. The creature before him tensed, trying to pull away. “Hush,” he soothed. “This will help.” After a few tense seconds, he relaxed. Gilbert started on his task, binding the base of his tail.

His tail wasn’t as he expected. It wasn’t slimy or gelatinous. It was smooth and firm, muscles rippling underneath the surface as he shifted nervously above the Clubs Ruler. The red and gold scales were the only texture provided, producing a ridged, layered feeling when he ran his hand over it gently to assess the damage. His tailfins were almost papery, with a thin membrane covering the fluids and small muscles in them.

Gilbert smiled faintly when the merman made the first real noise since they had been together. It wasn’t telepathic at all. He made a small, squeaky noise when the albino ran his fingers over one of his fins. He tried to jerk away, his face a mixture of confusion and amusement. The King’s smile widened. His siren was ticklish.

After teasing him a moment or two with his fingers, Gil finally pulled away with a little chuckle, grabbing the bandages to wrap him up. The siren let him do so without protest, watching him in awed silence. The King finished, tying it off expertly and sitting back to examine his work. It would do, for now.

“Better?” He asked, looking up at the siren.

Instead of nodding, he cocked his head to the side, as if calculating or evaluating, before letting out an audible sigh and closing his eyes. _“Antonio.”_

The King remained silent a moment, baffled. The siren paused to give him an amused glance a moment before continuing.

_“That is my name. You asked for it, did you not?”_

“Oh! Oh, I did. Antonio… What a lovely name for a lovely creature.”

 _“Did I not say flattery gets you nowhere?”_ The creature gave a little snort of impatience, turning his nose up at the King. Gil laughed, and Antonio looked down at him, surprised.

“Oh, I think it does. Just give me some time, Toni, and I think I’ll get through to you. Can I call you Toni? I'm going to call you Toni.” He grinned up at him, his garnet colored eyes bright and sparkling with mischief. The siren stared at him, speechless for a moment. Then he heaves a dramatic sigh and flops backwards onto the bed.

 _“Humans are so pitiably foolish.”_ He practically moaned, stirring another laugh from the royal.

“That we are, Antonio. That we are.”


	3. Home Again, Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after a long voyage, the King and his new treasure make it back to the kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after a million years, the author updates! Sorry guys- I hope you like it!

None of the crew bothered with the merman after the little incident. The King hardly minded, it meant he got to spend more time with Antonio. However, the time he spent with his siren would be more enjoyable if he would actually acknowledge the King's presence. After his tail had healed, Antonio barely seemed to notice the albino further. His high-and-mighty air had come back, and in his personal opinion, humans were better when they were dead.

It was the last day of the voyage home when Gilbert was starting to get annoyed with the silent treatment. He was the _King_ , for Ace's sake! He _deserved_ to receive attention! That damn fish-person had better pay attention to him, starting right now. A few hours before they were scheduled to dock, King Gilbert of the Beilshmidt lineage marched into the room that Antonio was being kept in, a demand on his lips and annoyance practically exuding from his posture and gaze. He was just about to demand that the siren pay attention to him _right now_ , until his crimson eyes fell on the sentient being. Instantly, his problem was forgotten, his words dying on his lips.

Antonio was curled up on the floor of the tank, his gills breathing in and out gently from where they resided in the grooves of his rib cage. His dark brown, almost black hair swayed gently in the stagnant, non-moving water, tickling his cheek or brushing against his eyelids. The siren's eyelashes were long, dusting against his prominent cheekbones gently. Gil was sure they were beautiful when he was out of the water. Then again, he had never really taken the time to study him when he was out of the water. He made a mental note to do so when the chance came up.

The siren's long, muscular tail was stretched out along the bottom of the glass case, his tail fin resting along the siding. It sparkled dully in the limited light of the room, what little sunlight fell into the tank making it glimmer like jewels in the confines of the shadows. Reds and golds and even some oranges reflected on the walls, shifting as the merman shifted. Toni turned, as if sensing another presence, rolling onto his belly and resting his cheek on the glass of the bottom of his prison. His muscular shoulders rippled along with the movement, bubbles escaping his lips as he exhaled.

Gilbert watched in awed silence. A few moments stretched on, each heavenly little eternities on their own, before the King smiled and decided his problems could wait. He stepped forward, keeping his footsteps quiet. The siren did not stir. He sat at the side of the tank, watching his treasure in silence, the small smile never once leaving his lips. He was so lucky. So damn lucky. No other King had the priceless, wonderful, beautiful being he did. So why was he worried about silly things like attention and words? There was time for those things later. For now, all the albino King of Clubs wanted to do was sit and watch his precious siren sleep away his worries.

And so he did.

***

Antonio was rudely awoken by the sound of men yelling and a horn blowing. He jumps, banging his head against the side of his prison in his haste. The siren rubs his head ruefully, blinking sleepily and looking around. He froze when his eyes fell on the King in the corner of the room, watching him with a small, content smile. But the throbbing in his temple distracted him for the time being.

"We're home now, Antonio."

The siren looked up again, his green eyes resting on the albino, who had pushed himself off the wall in order to look up at the door. His smile had softened a touch, the gesture incredibly fond as he looked at the door that concealed the world beyond.

_"You really love this home of yours, don't you, human?"_

Gilbert looked over, his expression surprised, as if he had not expected the merman to speak to him at all. He had forgotten just how young his siren was, how curious and timid he could be when he was given the chance to inquire. He chuckles, the smile returning, and nods in affirmation. "That I do, little one."

The siren looks offended at being called little, hauling himself up and out of the tank so his upper half was out of the water. Water ran off him in rivulets, dripping onto the floor and making him that much more beautiful in the light provided. As if he were covered in little diamonds. A fitting attire for a siren owned by a king himself. But this beautiful creature was annoyed and ready to give Gilbert the what-for.

 _"I,"_ He stated, his voice ringing through the King's head. It was very clear, both by the volume and the tone, that he was none too pleased. _"Am anything but little, mortal. I am older than you and your father and you father's forefather. Do you understand?"_ His tail thrashed in the water, splashing water onto the ground in his annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm little, you're big. I'm younger and stupider, you know everything and I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about." Gilbert teases, walking over and ducking when water was splashed in his direction. "I get it. Now, _your royal highness_ , would you please stop trying to drown me and hold still so I can pick you up? It would be much appreciated."

Antonio's alienated eyed widen a fraction of an inch and he flinches away when Gil reaches for him, making a small keening noise in his throat. The King paused, frowning, and sighed, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Calm down, liebe. I won't hurt you. I just need to pick you up so we can get back to my castle, okay?" He gives him a reassuring smile. The siren watches him for a little while, his gaze timid and unsure. With a little more coaxing and explaining, Gilbert managed to convince him to come along.

Needless to say, the crew was relatively shocked and disgusted when the King emerged from his quarters, carrying the siren in his arms and without a scratch on him. His passenger, however, had his face hidden from everyone and refused to acknowledge that he was being carried. Not even when Gilbert ducked his head to ask in a low tone if he was comfortable. He gave no answer, made no move.

It wasn't until they were in the carriage that would take them to the castle did King Gilbert get his siren to speak.

"Here, Antonio," He leaned forward, holding out a silver chain with a pendant on it. "This is for you. It will turn you into a human so you don't stick out as much. Besides, you don't want to stay that way forever, do you? I wouldn't. In fact, I-"

_"No."_

The merman wasn't even looking at him. He didn't need to; the ferocity in which he was staring at the ground was enough to figuratively bore holes into the ground. Gilbert frowned. He hadn't even given it any thought. So he tried again, keeping patience in mind.

"Toni, you haven't even given it a try. Maybe if you just-"

_" **No!** "_

He was looking at him now, his green eyes angry, burning with cold fury. It was all directed at the King. Gilbert stares at him for a moment, then narrows his own eyes. Patience was simply out of the question now. He was the _King_ , and this creature _would_ obey him. His red gaze hardens. He leans forward, causing the siren to shrink back, going from angry to helpless and scared in a matter of seconds. But the King of Clubs did not hesitate.

"I _own_ you, Antonio." He snaps, his crimson eyes blazing, his voice rising in volume. "You _will_ do as I say, whether you want to or not. Do you know why? Because if you don't, I will have my servants put you in the cold, dark dungeon. I will leave you there, without water, without food, without company, until you die. And then I will get myself another siren, without any hesitation. Do you want that, Antonio? Because I will not hesitate to do so. Refuse me again, _I dare you_."

 _"Please..."_ The siren's voice was small and scared in his mind. He had pressed himself against the wall as the King had talked, his body trembling again, like the night he accidentally killed the sailor. The poor creature looked like he was going to cry.

Instantly, the King felt guilty. He should have known better. His siren was _scared_. No wonder he hadn't wanted to do as he was told. Not to mention, he hadn't been treated very well by humans. He had been captured, thrown into multiple different situations without any way to cope, cut up by a drunk sailor, accidentally killed said sailor, and now he was being forced into yet another situation he didn't want to be in. Antonio was little more than a baby. None of this was fair to him.

Gilbert sighed, rubbing his face and taking a calming breath before looking back up at the terrified merman. Antonio's eyes widened a bit and he looked down, swallowing hard. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to be left in the cold and the dark. He just wanted to go home.

The next thing he knew, he had been swept into the King's arms and was being gently cradled against his chest as the King shushed him softly and brushed his damp, curling hair out of his eyes. Antonio looks up, his eyes wide, into the soft and apologetic eyes of his captor.

_"What are you-"_

"Hush. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten upset with you." Gilbert sighs, his warm breath washing over the siren's shoulder and making him shiver nervously. "I wasn't being fair to you. But I need you to wear this pendant so we can go into the palace. Can you do that for me? I promise I won't lock you in the dungeon."

Why should he? This human was insane- he was happy one moment and spitting mad the next. Antonio decided he had better do as he said, for fear of being neglected and sentenced to a cruel death. He nods, wanting nothing more than to be alone at the moment. The King smiles. In his eyes, he thought a simple juvenile apology and promise would heal everything. But Antonio wasn't human. He had been taught from a very young age to fear humans. This was not a remedy to him; merely an idle promise to be broken.

When the pendant was slipped over his neck, all he felt was blinding pain. Pain that made his tail feel like it was being ripped apart from the inside, pain that felt like he had been lit on fire, pain that robbed him of his sight and made him cry out soundlessly. _All he felt was pain_. For a moment, a split second, the siren was terrified he would feel like this for all of eternity. He would never be able to move again. He would die like this; blind, terrified, and far from home. The human had wanted this, hadn't he? He had _planned_ this. He was going to die. Oh, Poseidon, _he was going to die_.

But then, it was gone. The pain vanished as quickly as it had come, the pendant warm against his heart. Antonio sat there a moment, desperately trying to catch his breath. He looked down, expecting his tail to be bleeding or reduced to some terrible form of emaciation. He froze, his eyes wide. His tail was gone. In its place was a pair of legs. Human stilts. The very thing he had been taught to fear. Antonio looks up at the King, his eyes wide and wet from both scared and pained tears.

Blissfully unaware, Gilbert smiles. Damn him. "Awesome, isn't it? Now you can walk like me! But... here." He tosses him a sort of robe. Toni takes it, realizing he was shamelessly naked. Silent, stoic, and completely ashamed of himself for being reduced to this and angry at being tricked into it, he slips it on, covering himself. He ignores the King as he tries to continue the conversation that had never existed, and, as far as Antonio was concerned, never would.

They arrive to the castle much sooner than Antonio wanted. Much to his dismay, Gil insisted on helping him inside. It was humiliating. Toni couldn't walk, let alone balance on these damned stilts humans called legs. He tripped and fell on more than one occasion, scraping his knees up pretty badly and shredding whatever dignity he still possessed in the process. After what seemed like an eternity, he got the hang of it. The two made their way into a bedroom that had been arranged for the siren.

"Here you are." Gilbert says cheerfully, helping him over to the bed and setting him down. He looks his new treasure, his new object, his new _plaything_ over before sighing and shaking his head. "I'll get a servant in here to patch you up, and then you can rest, alright? I'll be right back." He turns on his heel and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Antonio stumbles over to the door, leaning against it heavily before locking and bolting it. He closes his green eyes, his forehead resting on the wood of the door. His breathing came in harsh pants, tears stinging in his eyes and his throat constricting. He hated it here. He hated the humans. He hated _being_ a human. His knees begin to buckle and he slowly starts to slide to the ground, finally giving in and letting out a sob, a tear escaping down his cheek. Antonio knelt against the door, his knees bloodied and his dignity trampled upon, and cries. He does not open the door. Not even when the servant knocks. Not when Gilbert tries to get him to open it.

After finally being left alone, one eternity later, Antonio feels his consciousness fading.

 _I hate it here._ He thinks to himself as his eyes slip shut and he gives into the blissful promise of sleep.


	4. Impasse

It took a duration of two and a half days to get Antonio to come out of his room.

After the first few hours, Gilbert had given up at being angry with the siren. Now, after almost three days, he was worried. Toni hadn't eaten anything on their week-long voyage home, not to mention he was still cut up from the slip ups he'd had on the way through the castle. He was worried.

All the conversations he'd tried to have with the siren ended up in Antonio yelling at him to go away in a hoarse, unused voice. It only took a few times and the slightest waver in his precious creature's voice and he gave up, feeling sheepish and guilty. Not even the maids and servants could get him to speak or let them in to do their jobs. He was at a loss of what to do. So, against his advisers advice, he sat beside the door and waited. It wasn't very Kingly, that was for sure. But he couldn't bring himself to care.

After being lectured and berated and pleaded with by his royal adviser, Roderich, Gilbert decided against going to dinner. It was a fools move, his adviser snapped before stalking away. Apparently, Gilbert's younger brother had come home and brought his betrothed with him. But Ludwig would understand, he had to. So Gil stayed, a silent sentry at the door of his most prized possession.

Halfway through supper time, the door creaked open and Toni poked his head out. He looked absolutely miserable. It was clear he was hungry; the sound of his stomach growling was loud and unmistakable. His green eyes weren't as luminous, his hair lay flat, his skin was paler. Gil scrambled to his feet, shoving his foot into the small crack of the door just as the startled creature tried to slam it close once more. The King let out a small grunt of pain, but stared intently at the siren. Antonio simply looked frightened once the annoyance had faded, and he backed away from the door, a plea to be left alone already hanging off his lips.

"Antonio."

" _Please,_ I just want to be left alone! I don't want... I don't want-"

The King stepped into the room, his hands held up placatingly, showing he meant no harm and had no weapons. But this was no comfort to the scared siren, and he backed up until his back hit the wall. "L-leave me alone!"

Gil stopped, watching him curiously. The siren-turned-human was wide eyed, his hands shaking and pressed up against the wall with his body. It was obvious he did not want to be near the King, under any circumstances. The albino frowns. "Toni? What's wrong?"

The siren looks away from him just as his stomach growled again. Antonio winced. _That has to be painful,_ Gilbert thought to himself, his frown deepening. "Come on, then, liebe. Let's get you cleaned up and then get you something to eat. How does that sound?"

Again, he got nothing but a blank stare and silence. Gil sighs, frustrated. "Fine," He says, making sure to keep his voice even. "Stay here and I'll call in a maid to give you a bath, then you'll join me for dinner. No questions asked, no arguments. Understand?"

Antonio takes a small breath, his green gaze shifting to the ground as he nods. "Yes," he says, his voice soft. Gil nods, then turns on his heel and signals to one of his servants to go inside, leaving without any chance for argument.

****

Toni stares down at the clear, un-moving water in the porcelain... tank? Bowl? Whatever it was, he held no love for it at all. It looked enough like a trap that he didn't want to go near it. He fidgets with the silky robe the girl had put around him, staring down at the steaming water as if it were going to bite him. That was _not_ salt water and it did _not_ look like anything he even remotely wanted to be apart of. The siren jumps nervously, flicking his forest green gaze to the door, his fingers digging into his thigh.

It was not the King as he had expected; it was a male servant. He was small in build and height, no older than about twelve, with honey colored eyes and reddish hair. He gave the siren a small, comforting smile. "Hello there," the boy said in a pleasant accent. He definitely wasn't from the Clubs Kingdom. "My name is Feliciano. You must be Antonio. Don't worry," the boy's smile widens a touch. "The bath won't bite you."

Toni stares at him for a moment, his eyes all shades of worried greens, flecks of gold and silver chips. In siren years, Antonio was only a little older than the redheaded servant boy in front of him. But only slightly. He casts another worried glance at the water in the tub. Feliciano laughs softly. "Come on, Antonio," he says, his eyes glowing with juvenile mirth. "You're supposed to be a siren, aren't you? What's a little water?"

The harmless teasing seemed to do the trick, because the robe was dropped onto the floor and Toni was sitting in the tub a moment later, looking up at the boy with a challenge in his eyes. Feliciano smiles. That was definitely more like it.

****

On the other side of the castle, Gilbert was pacing. Ludwig and his fiance had long since retired to their beds. It had been almost two hours since Antonio had been told to bathe- what was taking him so long?! He looked up at the dark corridor, ignoring the 'I told you so' look he was getting from Roderich, who was sitting in the corner.

"I did tell you a siren wasn't worth the effort, Your Majesty." The adviser remarked dryly, examining his fingernails.

"Shut up, Roddy."

"I told you it would be a waste of time, didn't I? But no, you just _had_ to have your pet."

"Shut _up_ , Roderich." Gilbert turns to him, his gaze annoyed.

The adviser turns his cool grey gaze onto the agitated ruler. "And what about when the other Kingdoms find about him, milord? You're asking for a war or some form of conflict, especially the Spades Kingdom. You _know_ how much Alfred values rare items. I hardly think-"

The adviser was cut off as the door opened and Antonio was pushed through. He definitely looked a lot better. He was clad in simple black pants that clung to his shapely body, and a loose white shirt you would expect to see on a pirate or something. The puffy kind, with the loose, laced up collar and billowing sleeves. It was ironically good looking on him. His eyes were brighter, his posture more relaxed. But he was still starving.

The King smiles warmly at him, then shoots a smug gaze over to his slack-jawed adviser. Roderich looked as though he had been stricken. The King smirked. _How's that for a war?_

"Antonio." Gil walked over to him, holding out a hand. The siren took it after a pause, and the albino guides him to the table. "Here you are, my dear. Eat to your heart's content." He left the siren with an affectionate ruffle of the hair and went to go gloat silently and lap up the praise that was likely to fall from his adviser's lips. Unfortunately, that was not what he got.


	5. Imprisonment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short, but I hope you like it all the same!

Antonio winced, staring down at the empty plate in front of him as the voices out in the hall continued to rise and fall, mostly words he didn't understand. The King had been dragged out into the hallway after some intense bickering (likely about the siren) before Roderich had cast a sideways glance at the exotic being and dragged the King out by his hair. It was clear that Toni wasn't wanted here by hardly any of the staff. In fact, right before he had been left here by Feliciano, the maids and servants stared openly. Some threw him nasty words or cruel looks. Others openly discussed him and where he belonged. It was not here in this castle, that was for certain.

It was lonely in the vast and empty dining hall. Beautiful, yes, but not... homey. It was huge, maybe larger than the grand cave that Poseidon's underwater castle held. It was more long than it was wide, with one giant, ornate table carved entirely out of slabs of a smooth, pearly stone dominating the center. There was a throne-like chair on the very far end, farthest away from where Antonio sat. Golds, dark blues, and the same pearly color of the table filled the room. Tapestries, trophies, side tables, trinkets, curtains, chairs, stools, trays, silverware, plates, dishes. Anything the royal family could possibly need to dine with was all here.

Except the two most important things: food and company.

The siren sat, his hands in his lap and his eyes straying occasionally to rove around the room with a sort of hungry curiosity that only children or young people had. It was so big, everything vast and extravagant and bigger than life.

And Toni?

Well... He wasn't.

He was little more than a baby, taken from his home and put into a new place with new sights and new experiences that he didn't think he was ready for. He was scared. Not to mention, everyone except the King and Feliciano seemed to want him to go back home. He wanted to go back home. Why couldn't he just go back home...

The siren looked up sharply as his thought process screeched to a halt, the door opening with a loud, grand noise that castle doors always seemed to have. But, like before, Gil wasn't there. In his stead was a tall, strong, intimidating looking man. He was blond, with piercing blue eyes and a stature that seemed to exude confidence and dominance. He was dressed in what Toni assumed to be royal garb, with a silver circlet resting just above his brow.

"Hello," The man said in a brusque accent not unlike the King's. His voice was deep and gruff, adding to the fear factor. Toni shrank away from him, the earlier panic rising back up in his throat. He found he couldn't speak. Not like he wanted to, anyhow.

But instead of being angry with the siren, the newcomer seems to soften a bit at his evident fear. "Don't worry," He says, giving him a tight little smile Toni was sure was rare to see. "I won't bite, I promise. My name is Ludwig; I'm Gilbert's younger brother."

Ludwig took a step closer and Antonio tensed, watching him warily. Unperturbed, the man stopped where he was, deciding to keep the conversation going. "You know, my brother told me you were a little tightly wound. I don't blame you, though. I would be a little jumpy if I were away from home without knowing where I was, too."

As Ludwig continued talking, Antonio found he quite liked the man's voice and began to slowly relax. Ten minutes later, the blonde man had seated himself a few chairs away from the siren and was still talking. But now, Toni was answering.

"How old are you, Antonio?"

"In sea years? One hundred seventeen."

There was an impressed whistle from the former. "You must be one of the elders, correct?"

Toni shook his head. He liked the way Ludwig talked; straight to the point. "No, I'm only just out of babyhood. I would be no more than a teenager if I were human."

The blonde man blinked, taking this in. Then he frowned, glancing back up at the siren with his hawk-like blue gaze. "So... you're little? Does my brother know how young you are?" Surely he wouldn't have taken the poor thing if he knew just how young he was. Right?

Antonio hesitated, flicking his alien green gaze away from the man. That was all the proof he needed, however, because he frowned, clearing his throat. But before either of them could say anything else, excuse or otherwise, the doors opened again and a flustered adviser and an angry King stepped in.

"Brother," Ludwig tried to speak up, but was harshly cut off by a; "Not _now_ , little brother!" from the eldest. The blond shut his mouth with an audible click and swallowed his words, casting a glance at Antonio. The siren was busy fiddling with his fingers, doing his best to stay invisible. His plan failed, despite his best efforts.

"Antonio." Gilbert snapped, turning his burning red gaze on his prize. The exotic being jumped, nervous once again, and looked up at him, his green eyes wide. Gil, however, either did not notice or didn't particularly care, unlike his brother. He clears his throat, his red eyes boring into his own green eyes so intensely that he had to look away, an ashamed blush adorning his cheeks.

"We've come to the conclusion," He spat, his poisonous gaze turning to that of his adviser before returning to the siren, who had regained the courage to look back up until the King returned his iron hard gaze back on him. The King continued. "That you will be a resident in our dungeon. We will outfit a cell for you so it's comfortable; a tank, a bed, whatever I see fit. Understand?"

There was silence.

You could feel the tension in the air, the heavy silence that fell in the vast room, making it seem that much bigger. Toni looked back up, feeling nothing but numbness. Gilbert looked furious. Ludwig looked a mixture of surprised and indignant. Roderich looked smug. He smiles faintly, glancing back down at his hands. There was no use fighting this, was there? He was doomed to be enslaved and imprisoned either way. "Fine." He decides after a moment or two. "Fine..."

The King nods, his gaze grim. "Very well." He turns to his adviser, his voice and gaze venomous. "Are you happy now?"

The adviser nods.


	6. Spades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking a look on what's happening over in Spades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh okay this is short but yeah here we go- ^^" I'm still alive!

The King of Spades was pacing again.

Of course, he never paced unless under great stress or thinking intently about something that would turn into an explosion of rage and rash decisions.

Nonetheless, the Queen of Spades could not help admiring how pretty he looked when angered. Arthur glanced up from his embroidery, his verdant green eyes sliding over his partner's flushed face, focused blue eyes, and down-turned mouth. Alfred looked genuinely upset, but the Queen could not muster the energy or time to care. For it was jealousy that clouded those beautiful, cornflower blue eyes, darkening them into dark navy pits of terror that he did not recognize. Arthur felt the oh-so-familiar tug of hurt and annoyance on his belly as he looked back down to focus on the task at hand. He did not care.

Why should he, anyways? It wasn't Arthur his King was jealous of. The object of his selfish desire was in the next kingdom over, in a place where Alfred could not step foot in for fear of another devastating war. The Queen smiled bitterly to himself, angrily stabbing the needle into his painfully careful work. His King was only going to get them all killed.

Across the room, Alfred continued to pace. His blond hair shone brightly in the sun, then receded to a muddy color as he walked from the light into the shadows. The King's hands were clasped behind his back, his bare feet only making the slightest of noise as he crossed and retraced his steps over and over on the hard blue and silver of the ornate tiles. Anger practically dripped from his every pore, his face and necked flushed an ugly red color. Anger was unbecoming on him, Arthur had once told him. But he had simply laughed.

"He has a _siren_!" The King hisses, his eyes snapping up to his husband, his movement stopping abruptly enough to make him sway and try to correct his balance. "A _siren_ , Arthur!"

The Queen hummed to acknowledge that he he had heard the blond, his eyes never leaving the needle in his hand. "Yes, dear. I heard you the first time."

"But- _how_?! They're supposed to be difficult as all hell to find, let alone _catch_! Ace, if I had known Gilbert was planning to get one, I would've gone right under his nose and taken it myself! Maybe then my life would be more interesting with a siren by my side..."

Arthur's hand paused as silence fell across the room. He lifted his gaze to the King, licking his lower lip. Of course, Alfred wasn't looking at him. The Queen watched as his partner picks up his pacing again, then swallows the all too familiar lump in his throat and turns back to his work, stabbing his needle into his thumb in his haste. With a small hiss, he drops the embroidery onto the ground, sticking his bleeding thumb into his mouth. Dammit.

Alfred looks over at him, then snorts and rolls his eyes. "Wow, Arthur. That was smart, don't you think?"

The Queen of Spades, stands abruptly, his cheeks burning with shame. He quickly gathers his work, hugging it to his chest, and stalks out of the room. The door slammed behind him, and Alfred blinked. What had gotten into him? Oh well. He was going to get his hands on that siren, whether Arthur was acting strange or not. He smiled to himself, nodding. This would be the last time Gil did things without him knowing.


	7. Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this kinda sucks but I updated!

Weeks passed. Antonio and Gil got closer with the confinement and solitude Antonio had been subjected to. His prison was roomy and at least had a proper bed, but there was no body of water big enough for the siren to frolic or play in while the King was away. But Gilbert came very often, checking in, reading to him, teaching him things about the outside world, or simply sitting there and answering Toni's endless questions he seemed to draw from a never-ending well.

On one of their many interesting afternoons, Antonio was laying on his belly in the cell, playing with the King's feet as he read to him. The siren had a habit of taking off the pendant that Gilbert had given him on his arrival, his human legs disappearing so he could at least have some form of comfort and normalcy. At the moment, he was laying on the floor, stretched out to the very tip of his red-gold tail, his green eyes half closed and his expression content. Gil was running his pale fingers through his pet's curly brown hair.

"Gil?" Toni interrupted as the King started to turn the page. The albino man blinked, looking up and turning the page absently. "Yes?"

"I want to go outside." Toni said after a moment, his voice quiet and his gaze lifting to look up timidly at his captor. Gilbert's harsh red gaze softened a touch and he smiled, setting the book aside and taking a soaked washcloth out of a bucket and wringing it out a little. It was a routine they had adopted a while back: Toni didn't want to be imprisoned in a human body as well as in a cage, so they had compromised. Whenever the King visited, he brought a bucket of water and a cloth to wet the siren's tail down as needed.

"I know you do, darling." He sighed, pulling the merman up closer to his side and wiping down his slowly drying tail. Toni shivered, his heart heavy. He knew the answer already. The answer was no, the answer was no yesterday, and the answer would continue to be no tomorrow. He rested his head against the King's side, just underneath his arm and against his ribcage. Gilbert smiled, adjusting his pet's weight so he could continue to wet his tail. "But it's too dangerous for you anywhere but here."

Antonio glanced up at him with hard green eyes, his gaze defiant. "But what if it isn't?" He counters, sudden anger making him brave. He _deserved_ to go outside! It wasn't right, being held in here like... like some kind of museum creature!

Gilbert pulled away suddenly, causing the merman to drop on his side and smack his head on the brick wall with a small yelp. His red gaze had hardened; that had not been the right thing to say. "Antonio," the King of Clubs' words were slow and articulated, his annoyance and greed evident in his voice. _His_ siren wasn't going anywhere. Not if he could help it. "You are to stay here in your cell, safe and away from everyone. Do you understand?"

The siren stared at him, his own gaze matching the King's. Angry and annoyed. "No." Toni stated, pushing himself into a sitting position. "I want to go out." He repeats. Instantly, Gilbert was looming above him, his gaze like blood infused thunder. He trapped his captive in the corner, his voice a low growl.

"You will _never_ leave this place so long as I rule. _I_ am your master now, do you understand? You will stay here for the rest of your life, or the rest of _my_ life as far as I'm concerned." He took a hold of Toni's upper arms, shaking him abruptly. The siren's teeth click together painfully and he winced, letting out a small noise of pain as the King knelt on his tailfin.

A few minutes of heavy silence pass, until finally Toni shifts uncomfortably, pained tears pricking his eyes and making his throat constrict. "That hurt's..." He whispered, trying to pull it out from underneath his captors knee. Gil blinked, slowly coming down from his anger high and scrambling off of him. He gets up, straightening himself out and coughing softly. "You... stay in here."

With a final, guilty look, the King of Clubs left the cell, leaving his captive siren with a headache and lonely solitude once again.

***

Weeks passed. Gilbert didn't come down to visit at all in the tedious passing days, leaving Ludwig to do so. Antonio enjoyed the company, to be sure, but he honestly just wanted to go out and swim in a real body of water. To feel the cool breeze on his face, not the stale air of the dungeon. To hear the sounds of every day human life, something he had always been interested in. He absolutely despised the sound of clinking armor and keys on the guards, or the low wails and moans from the other prisoners. He didn't belong here.

One particular afternoon (well, whenever it was. He couldn't exactly keep track anymore.), when the siren was reading through the book the King had left behind on his last visit for the millionth time, something was different. The halls were silent. It wasn't a good silence, either. Toni flipped the page slowly, then looked up at the cell door curiously. He blinked. There was a figure there.

The person was cloaked in black, the only thing visible being the glint of their eyes. The door creaked open slowly, and instantly the siren felt an acute wrongness. This was off. This was not normal. "Ludwig?" He called out tentatively, inching closer to the wall and closing the book. No answer. He swallowed hard, terror clogging his throat as the figure advances closer. "Gil...?" He whispered as whatever it was stands right in front of him. He swallows hard, looking up at the figure.

"Hello there, pet~" The voice cooed, right as something hard collides with Toni's head, slamming it into the wall and knocking him out instantaneously. Darkness swallowed both of them up as the figure picked up Toni and slunk into the dark.


	8. Captive

"Well, well. Looks like our guest is finally waking up.

There was an indignant snort from across the room. "Really, Alfred. I don't see why you went to all that trouble for some... some... _fish_."

Antonio shifts, groaning softly and lifting his hands to rub his face. Except... his hands weren't moving- He blinks open his eyes, looking down and struggling. He was in a large, comfortable bed, but his hands were chained to the bedposts and his elbows were unable to bend more than forty degrees. The siren blinks uncomprehendingly. His temples throbbed, his vision blurred and his head felt like it was filled with wet cotton.

Across the room from him sat two regal blond figures. One was sitting, a book in his lap and an annoyed frown on his lips. His brow was pinched, his green eyes glittering from under dirty blond locks. He was dresses in the royal purple garb that the Queen of Spades usual sported. Of course, Antonio didn't know the color coordination of the hierarchy, so this man was merely one of his captors.

The other one stood, walking toward the bed with a wide smile. He was taller, more muscular. His hair was the color of ripened wheat, his eyes the color of the bright ocean Toni adored so much. As friendly as he may have been, this man's smile was predatory. His cobalt blue cape shimmered around him as he stepped forward.

"Good morning," the man said, and Toni recognized him as the first speaker. The siren instantly ceased his struggling, letting his arms fall limp. He tried his best to press himself into the soft mattress, to hide from who he identified as an enemy. The King smiled. "Now, now. Don't look so terrified, you pretty thing..."

The man across the room made a noise of annoyance, rolling his emerald green eyes and glancing back down at his book. The tall one frowns, shooting him a look before turning back to the siren and sitting on the edge of the bed. Antonio looks away, dropping his gaze.

"Look at you... you're even more lovely than I imagined." He breathed, looking him over before leaning over and cupping his cheek in the palm of his hand. The prisoner yelps with both surprise and pain, pulling away and straining against his bonds to be further away.

The foreign King "hmph"s, pulling back. "Well, anyways. I'm Alfred, and that's Arthur. We're your new owners!"

Antonio frowns, shifting uncomfortably before setting his hands in his lap and daring to speak up. "I am my own master." Toni informs him, his voice soft and scratchy, alien to his own ears.

As rough and uneven as it was, Alfred seemed to like it. His face lights up and his blue eyes brighten, much like the way Gil had looked at him the first time. It stung, and also made him feel uneasy.

"Wow, your voice is so pretty... isn't it pretty, Arthur?"

"Hm. I suppose." The one in the purple said, turning the page of his book. Alfred looked disappointed momentarily, then simply frustrated when a bell rang. "I guess that's for me. You two play nice." With that, he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Silence reigned in the room for a solid ten minutes.

Right around the time Antonio started to fall back into an uneasy slumber, the Queen got up abruptly, jarring him from his peaceful half asleep state. Arthur shuts his book, dropping it onto the chair he had been occupying and walking briskly over to the bedside. The siren blinks, watching him silently.

"I don't like you," the Queen of Spades says coolly, crossing his slender arms over his chest. "It may be a little premature and unreasonable, but I don't. You're stealing my husband from me."

His expression darkens and he leans over the bed, grabbing Antonio by the jaw and yanking him forward so that they were eye to eye. The siren squeaks, squirming in his grip. He falls silent the minute those eyes met his own. "But mark my words, fish," Arthur hisses, his green eyes poisonous and blazing. "You so much as look at him the wrong way, and I'm sending you to the gallows to be hanged. I don't tolerate being swept aside. And I certainly won't tolerate having my husband snatched a away from me by a monster."

Arthur gives him a sickly sweet smile, dropping him and wiping his hands on his robes like he had touched something disgusting. "Mind your manners, pet." He coos, stepping away from the bed and walking back to his chair. He picks up his book, tucks it under his arm, and with a small flourish, he leaves.

Antonio winces when the door slams closed, resting his face against the soft, cool pillow. He was shaking. The chains rattled against the solid wood bedposts, clicking softly and adding to the strange monotony of the room. The siren closes his eyes, wishing, not for the first time, that he could go home.

But this time, it wasn't the sea he wanted to go back to.

This time, he craved the warm, soft hands that brushed through his hair or against the cool scales of his tail. He craved the strong chest to lean against, the soothing words that lulled him to sleep. The joyful red eyes. The silky silver hair.

This time, he reminisced, he wanted to go home to the King of Clubs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this one was a bit short, I did it on mobile so I'm not sure how long it really is. It's summer now! So more chapters should be up sooner! Happy reading~


	9. Agreement

The ransom arrived two days after Antonio had been taken.

At first, Gilbert had merely scoffed; there was no way his siren had gotten himself kidnapped! He was safe in his cell, King Alfred had simply acquired another siren and wished to gloat. To plant seeds of doubt in his chest.

As the day went on, the thought continued to circulate in his mind. Maybe Toni had been kidnapped. Perhaps Alfred wasn't bluffing and he had thrown the rug right out from under Gil, or was attempting to. Slowly, the King of Clubs was only able to stare blankly at the documents on his desk, the quill in his hand dripping blotches of ink onto the important document as he stared into space and continued to fret.

However, that was not the end. At supper, he pushed his food around his plate while Roderich recounted the kingdoms successes and hardships through the week. His brother, Ludwig, noticed. As did the advisor, but nothing more than concerned glances were exchanged between the two. After the reports had been finished and Ludwig had tried his hand at awkward conversation, the Grand dinning hall lapsed into silence, the only sound that permeated it being the scraping of forks on plates.

Gilbert retired early, ransom note in hand. He waved off all the troubled questions and offers that both his staff and his advisor presented to him, merely shaking his head and explaining that he simply wanted to be alone. Once he had settled into his massive, comfortable bed, Gil opened the letter. He read it once, twice. He read until his eyes watered and the candlight began to fade. Until the words ran together, clashing and blurring into one giant, unreadable mess. He blinked, setting it aside and rubbing his tired eyes, laying in the silence of his room. The worry returned, anxiety settling like an uncomfortable weight on his chest and doubt churning in his belly.

He tosses and turned for half the night, trying to convince himself that his siren was fine. He was only sleeping. In the morning, the King would rise early and see him before breakfast. The sheets were kicked off, his pillows thrown askew and his body contorted into uncomfortable positions. Finally, once he could truly handle no more, Gilbert rose, grabbing a lamp from the hall and heading down the dungeons.

The guards were surprised to see him, naturally, but allowed him access to the cell his prize, his most beautiful treasure was being held in.

Gil held the light aloft, the shadows flickering in the sudden candlelight. The book he had left all those weeks ago was sitting open, left in the corner of the room the King knew his siren frequented most. But there was no sign of him being here... Gilbert frowned. He stepped further into the room, casting the light over the bed. The sheets were asunder, cast aside almost lazily. The pillows were on the floor, littering the area here and there. No Antonio in the bed.

"Toni?" Gil calls, his voice echoing off the walls. He got no reply. The King held the lamp higher, searching the rest of the room as dread coiled his insides together and panic made his vision go funny. Or maybe it was tears. He wasn't sure, nor did he particularly care at the moment.

After a final, desperate search of the room, Gil turned to his officers, the hand holding his lamp shaking terribly and a tear leaking unbidden down his snowy cheek. "He's gone," He says, his voice hollow and scared. "He's really gone."

***

"No, Gilbert."

"But we can't just... _sit_ here and let Alfred have him, can we? Come on! Just one little reconnaissance mission, that's all I'm asking!" 

"He's just a fish, Gilbert. I don't see what you're fussing about."

"How dare you... I am your _King_ -"

Roderich hands slammed down on the desk, causing Gilbert to clumsily bite his tongue and shut up. He looked up at his advisor, his eyes blazing in a cold, helpless rage.

"And I am your advisor and the Commander of your militia power," Roderich's voice was cool and calm, despite the terrifying anger in his eyes. "Which is why I am forbidding you to do anything. I know you, Gilbert. And I also know that your Kingdom cannot survive another war. Let him go. You can get yourself other, better treasure."

Gil had to fight off arguing that he didn't want any other treasure, he wanted Antonuo, but the look on his advisors eyes practically dared him to do so. Instead he held his tongue, crossing his arms and glaring at the floor of his office. "Fine." He spits at length, shaking his head. He hated himself for giving into the pressure of all this, hated himself for leaving Toni behind.

Roderich seemed to relax at that, nodding his head and clearing his throat. "Now that I clearly have your attention... this was a wonderful way to get into a subject you have been avoiding and tiptoeing over for years." He paused, likely for dramatic effect. Then, the bomb was released. "Marriage."

Gilbert had never hated a mere word in all his life like he did this one.

The advisor continued, beginning to pace across the floor. "As you know, you are well past the legal age of marriage in your home country. The kingdom is waiting for you to choose a Queen so you may settle down and have an heir. You are no longer sixteen anymre, Gilbert. Your twenty seventh birthday just passed and you aren't getting any younger." He paused, looking over at the sulking ruler. "Now," Roderich smiles. "I can have suitors here by tomorrow afternoon if you so please."

Gil got the feeling it was more of a 'You're doing what I want now whether you like it or not' situation than a choice. But he needed some shred of dignity to go down with.

The King sighed. He looked out the window, staring a moment before closing his tired eyes. With one final breath and the release of any hope he might ever see his beautiful siren again, he nods.

"I give my consent."


	10. Heartbreak

Tall, flawlessly clean white walls with silver trim decorating the intricate crown molding. The floor was a seamed white tile, almost resembling granite. One could guess quartz. Wide, floor to ceiling windows covered only by purple sheers and royal blue curtains to pull over them. An extravagantly carved white door lead to the excellently modeled washroom and baths. The bed had four posts and was made of the lightest, whitest wood. The baubles that adorned the tops of the posts were engraved with the Spades kingdom crest: A silver, bleeding heart ran through with the arms of a clock. After all, time was essential in the Spades kingdom. The bed was layered with silken sheets of the finest materials, all dyed the same purples and blues of the curtains and plush chairs that decorated the wide room. They were soft, despite the seamless, creaseless, and wrinkle-free acuteness they kept. It truly was a beautiful room.

Antonio sighed, tugging at the chains still hooked to his wrists, his sea green eyes taking in the room. It was no longer beautiful to him; simply monotonous and dull. He had been here fifteen days exactly, chained to this bed and only allowed to get up and walk the gardens once a day with the King. He had slipped into a silent depression, only wishing to sleep.

His condition worsened every time the handsome King reported gleefully that there had been no word from the King of Clubs, or anyone from the kingdom of Clubs, for that matter. With every thought that passed through the young siren's head, he lost interest in one thing or another. Soon, he had no intention of eating or sleeping or _anything_ , for that matter. When Arthur came to gloat or shoot warning insults his way, Antonio simply closed his eyes and turned away from him, zoning out so he didn't have to listen. When walking with the King, he took to keeping his beautiful gaze on the ground before him. If Gilbert were brought up in a conversation, he would stiffen, then relax completely and pretend to do something - or nothing - else.

One particular morning, Alfred burst into the room he kept the siren in, startling the poor creature and causing him to shriek. The blond chuckled, racing over and sitting down on the bed. He had a gold sealed letter on the bed, surprising and giving Toni hope. That was the symbol on Gil's ring! He scrambled to sit up as the energetic ruler waved it in his face.

"Look, look!" He cried, overcome with joy. "Gilbert has just sent me an invitation! Can you guess what to, pretty one?"

Excited, the siren shook his head, craning his neck to see the words he could not even read. Alfred flashes him a brilliant, million watt smile. "He's getting married, Antonio." He says, his voice suddenly calm and his eyes bright with greed and victory.

In that very moment, Antonio felt something inside of him shatter into a million sharp pieces. His face flooded with heat and his eyes were suddenly pricked with tears. A strangled noise, the only noise he had made in a very long while, was forced from his lips as all the air in his lungs rushed out as well. He felt as if someone had stricken him with the mast of a very large ship.

Gilbert was engaged to be married.

He wasn't coming at all, was he?

That thought alone broke Toni. With a wretched noise, hot tears began spilling out onto his warm and reddened cheeks. He ducked his head shamefully, unable to move his hands to his face to brush away the tears as he wept openly. Gil had told him he was beautiful! He had talked to him like an equal. He had brought him presents, read to him, allowed the siren to fall asleep against his chest. Now, however? Antonio felt like dying. He didn't want to be here anymore; near land or on it. The human realm brought nothing but pain and grief.

Bewildered, Alfred hurriedly uncuffed the siren, pulling him into his arms. Antonio's forehead rested against the King's chest, his tears blotching his shirt. "Hush, hush," He soothed, running his fingers through his hair and pulling him fully into his lap. "If he hasn't come for you then he isn't worth the tears, darling." He purred, his voice rich. The siren shivers, his blood freezing a little at his tone. He didn't want to sit beside the King anymore. The siren swallows his tears, sniffing softly and rubbing his eyes before sliding off his lap. No, thank you.

"I'm going to go take a bath." Toni informs the King, backing away from him before turning and stumbling to the door of the washroom. Before Alfred could follow, he darted into the room and closed the door, leaning against it and closing his eyes.

Gil was getting married.

Gil had abandoned him.

He was stuck here with no way out, vulnerable and lonely. Toni sighed softly, sliding to the floor and closing his eyes.

At least, Antonio decided as a fresh bout of tears hit him and he began to cry in earnest, this would buy him some time to try and forget about Gil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness- Thank you guys so much for all the positive feedback and support! We almost have 200 hits and I never even dreamed of any past 50. Thank you guys so, so much. You all rock!  
> Much love,  
> Reny


	11. Flee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning! There is a little bit of TW and a slight mention of rape in here. I'm really sorry to make one of my babies the bad guy, but I deemed it necessary to the plot. I'm sorry if you have an issue with it, and by all means, stop if anything makes you uncomfortable. If you want to continue reading the story but have no intention of reading this chapter, message me and I'll give you a brief overview.

A few long, hard weeks passed. In which; Antonio refused to eat but in small interludes, hardly got any sleep, stayed mostly to himself, and kept the curtains drawn in his room to keep all light from entering. The only communication he made was mental and was kept solely to the servants. No matter how King Alfred tried, he simply could not get the siren to turn over and speak with him. No amount of anger, compassion, annoyance, wheedling, or any other could get him to do anything. The siren had to _want_ to do it. And for the duration of several weeks, he wished to do nothing but perish.

One morning, after one of his favorite servants had persuaded him to bathe and get a good nights rest, Toni rose with a smile and a will to get out of the bed. In fact, after he had eaten a bit of breakfast, he had decided he wanted to ask Alfred if he could attend Gilbert's wedding ceremony with him. Maybe then the King of Clubs would realize just how terrible a mistake he had made in leaving the siren behind.

It had taken hours of pacing back and forth (albeit a little unsteadily; he hadn't walked in a month or so) before he mustered up the courage to call Alfred into his room to ask him. His belly was full of odd flutterings and his mouth was dry, but Antonio did not stutter even once when he sent off his messenger. With a bright smile and a quick bow, the servant girl hurried off to do his bidding.

When she had gone and the door had closed behind her, the siren collapsed into one of the plush armchairs. He was shaking a great deal, his heart rate a little more elevated than was normal. But he was fine, he convinced himself. He would be alright.

A few minutes ticked by before Alfred finally made an arrival. Instantly, Antonio knew he needed to tread lightly. There was something acutely off about the King. Something dark, foreboding and perpetually wrong. The siren quickly rose to his feet, taking an insincere step forward. He inclined his head with a soft, "Your Majesty,"

The King smiled widely, reaching over and tipping the prisoner's head up with a few fingers. Antonio swallowed hard, hoping desperately that it wasn't audible. Alfred didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he did a clever job of keeping it to himself.

"You sent for me, my darling?" Asked he, pulling his hand away to cross them over his broad, muscular chest. The siren gave a quick, nervous nod of his head, flicking his luminous gaze over to a nearby couch. His throat was dry, his palms sweaty.

"I... wished to ask something of you, my lord." He responded after a moment or two of hesitant silence.

The King smiled widely, the act shark-like and intense. It made Antonio want to inch away from him until he had pressed himself against the wall. It wasn't a pleasant feeling to have. "Alfred," the King purred, his eyes a dark shade of blue. "Call me Alfred."

"Alfred, then," Toni repeated, his eyes flicking a few times from the blond, the the floor and back again. He began again. "Alfred... I wish to go with you to the wedding of Gil- Of the King of Clubs." He cleared his throat, looking back up at the King.

What he saw was truly a terrifying sight.

The King of Spades seemed to be looming over him, his eyes the shade of the sky when a tsunami was due inland. Rage tightened every muscle in his face and in his arms as well, making him shake and take a step closer to the siren. When he spoke, his voice was a deadly snarl. "What?" He seethed, his brows pinching together as his face contorted with anger. "Am I not good enough for you?"

Antonio's eyes widened. He took a cautious step backwards, tense and alert. "N-No! I never-"

But the King was not finished. "Did you want to be given away like some sort of prize?" Alfred sneered, taking yet another step forward. "He doesn't _deserve_ you, Antonio. You are mine and mine _alone_ , do you hear me? You are not something to be taken from me!"

With each step the hostile man took forward, the siren took one back. He seemed to be shrinking with every word Alfred uttered, trying to find a way out of the situation he had put himself in. He should have stayed silent in his yearnings-

"Are you not happy with me?" The King hissed, grabbing Antonio by the shoulders and shaking him violently. The siren's teeth clicked together painfully and he winced, closing his eyes. "Tell me, Antonio! Do I not please you? Give you food? Shelter? A place to rest? He was keeping you in a dungeon! A _dungeon_! He did not deserve you. Not like I do."

"I am _not_ an object!" Antonio found himself yelling at the top of his lungs as he wrenched himself out of the King's grasp. "Y-You do not simply... I don't _belong_ to you! I am my own person, not a token to be fought over like... like unruly children!"

 _Smack!_

Antonio let out a choked noise, stumbling back into the wall and cupping his cheek were a bright red patch shaped like a hand was slowly appearing. Hot tears stung his eyes as he gasped, trying to regain himself. Alfred advanced once again, his eyes blazing with an icy fire. With one swift movement, he had pinned Antonio to the wall, the siren's chin grasped in his crushing grip as he was forced to look at the maddened King of Spades.

"You," Alfred growled, his voice low and smooth, his tone sending a shudder up Antonio's spine. "Are in no position to call me a child. Or declare your freedom." He chuckled, the sound low and the blond's breath hot against the siren's cheek and neck. Alfred pulled back slightly, taking in the sight of the trembling, mortified siren before him. His smile turned predatory. "All mine." He whispered to himself, greed clouding his eyes as he leaned down and captured Toni's lips with his own in a bruising kiss.

Antonio made a pathetic little noise, frozen in shock for a terrible two seconds before yanking his head away, knocking his head on the wall and tearing the skin of his lip in the process. "S-Stop it!" He pleaded as blood dripped down his chin. The pleas and resistance only seemed to fuel the fire. The King grabbed a fistful of Antonio's hair, yanking his head to the side and exposing his neck before starting to attack it with harsh bites and kisses.

Antonio didn't know when the tears had come. But now they wouldn't stop, even as he tried to push Alfred away with the flat of his hands and the force of the wall. He began to fight even harder when the King slid a leg between his thighs, hating himself for the beginning of his body's natural reaction.

He was doomed. The King was deaf to his pleas, and he knew what he was in for. He had only wanted to see Gil again! He began to pray that something, _anything_ would come and rescue him.

Fortunately, his prayers were answered. The Queen himself stepped into the room, only there to ask his husband something political, not at all bothered by the siren's presence. Arthur froze, stunned by the wailing of the siren and the growls and threats issuing from his husband. "Alfred...?"

When the King had frozen in absolute shock, only then did Antonio take the time to pull away from his captor. His eyes were wide and unfocused, his hand pressed to his rapidly purpling neck and his lip stained with his own blood. His face was a few shades too pale, his cheek stained with tears. Antonio took a staggering step backwards, looking over at the Queen before running right out of the room, not stopping for anyone.

The room was filled with a dead silence, shock and horror almost palpable in the air.

The King turned, an excuse and a smile on his lips. Before he could speak, Arthur raised a hand, disgust written all over his features. "Don't," The Queen commands, his voice filled with horror. "Just... don't say a word."

***

Antonio ran.

He ran as fast and as hard as he could. Through the castle halls, past startled servants, until he found the main entry hall. He yanked it open, racing right out that, too. Antonio continued to flee, never stopping. Not when people tried to get him to. Not when he scared children and horses. Not even when the sun went down. He continued running, right into the thick woods that separated the borders of the Clubs and Spades kingdom. Adrenaline gave way tot fear, and by the power of fear he ran directly into the Clubs Kingdom.

Dawn came sooner than the siren anticipated. By now, the sharp pain in his side had blossomed into one that was nearly crippling. His breath came in short gasps and his walking turned to stumbling, but on he went. He knew that if he did not run, he would pass out or begin to cry. Neither sounded like objects he liked very much, so he stumbled along until he saw the castle in sight.

Sheer willpower alone was not enough to keep him going. It became all too apparent when Antonio collapsed in front of the entrance of a small town, coughing violently. He began to dry heave, his body aching like he had been swimming all day long without stopping once. Antonio's struggling did not go unnoticed. In a few minutes, there was a small group of men in the very same uniforms that the guards who had kept him prisoner in the dungeon wore. They were talking in low, urgent tones to him, but he could not hear what they were saying.

"Please..." He begged, his voice rough and raspy. "I need to get... to Gil! Take me to... the King-"

A few of the older looking ones began talking amongst themselves as another coughing fit seized the siren. One of the younger ones was talking to him, saying something in a voice that was meant to calm Antonio. Fingers began to sift through his hair, but Antonio flinched away from them with an inhuman noise of terror. _Don't touch me, don't or I'll bite your fingers off!_

The younger one backed off, looking over at his elders and saying something just as Antonio's vision began to go black. His belly heaved again, but there was nothing there. With another, small moan of pain, the siren went limp as his body began to force him to relax.

"Don't worry," He heard a voice say as his vision left him and darkness began to swallow everything up. "We'll get you to the King."


	12. Reconciliation

Antonio woke up in a room, laying in an enormous bed draped in colors that swam before his eyes. Toni looked around, his vision identifying the room that looked all too familiar. He began to panic, sitting up quickly. Hadn't he escaped from the Spades Kingdom? Had it all just been a dream? The sirens eyes fill with tears. He didn't want to be here anymore!

Before he could slide out of the bed and escape like he had in his dream, somebody grabbed him, pulling him against his chest none too gently. The siren gasps, scrambling at whoever had pulled him close, fighting as hard as he could in his weakened state. Strong arms wrap around him, pinning him to his captors chest.

"L-Let me go-" He wails, tears dripping down his cheeks, his body tense and his breathing coming in shallow gasps.

"Antonio, it's alright. Toni, shh... I won't hurt you, calm down, leibe.." And all too familiar voice soothes, a hand running down the sirens spine gently.

Antonio falls completely still, his eyes widening before he pulls away to stare up at the speaker.

Gilbert smiles down at him, his crimson eyes soft and gentle and concerned. A hand brushes through Toni's hair and the siren's eyelashes flicker. He let's out a shaky breath, staring up at the King of Clubs in disbelief. Gil leans forward, kissing the top of his head tenderly. "There, there... I won't let anything get you. Calm down, dearest, you're safe now."

Toni falls back against his chest, suddenly exhausted and weary of the world. He closes his eyes, and together they sit on the bed, silent except for the soft sound of Gils hand rubbing against the bare skin of Antonio's back.

When the King was almost positive the siren had fallen asleep again, Toni speaks up, his voice soft and raspy. "How long did I sleep?"

"Not long." Gilbert answers, vague.

Toni looks up at him, his lips pursed and his gaze uncertain. He tucks his head back against the King's chest, deciding to talk telepathically instead. Everything hurt, including his head, but he didn't want to hear his voice. 'You are lying to me.'

The King hesitates, then sighs. "Three days." He admits. The siren stays silent for a long time. 'And you are married.'

Gilbert looks down at Toni in surprise, wondering how in Ace's name the siren knew that- Then it hit him. Alfred had been dangling it over his head. His gentle actions stop, his hand pausing on Toni's back and his face flushing with shame and embarrassment. He had a feeling he knew what came next. "Yes," Gil nods.

There's a shorter silence, one in which Antonio pulls away entirely, looking up at the King. His face was gaunt, paler than it had been when he'd been taken captive. His once luminous eyes were now a bit sunken and bloodshot, the color dulled and gloomy. His expression was heartbreakingly sad, his gaze shifting from the King to the bedsheets in a nervous pause, almost as if he were trying to push himself to say something else. He takes a small breath, closing his eyes and finally deciding to risk what he had. After all, what did he have to lose? He had no dignity or pride left.

'You didn't come to find me.'

Gilbert pauses, looking down at the siren. The sight of his treasure, his prize, the one thing he had wanted all his life, sitting before him and cowering like a terrified child. It broke his heart. He should have come for him. He should have ignored Roderich and gone after the siren himself. Whatever Alfred had done, it had ruined his perfect prize. "No," He shakes his head. "I didn't." 

The siren takes a small breath, nodding and ducking his head, his eyes closing. He opens his eyes after a moment, looking over at him. "Please leave." He whispers, his eyes red rimmed and teary.

The King blinks, looking up, his eyes widening. "Antonio-" He tries to reason with him, his tone pleading.

The siren shakes his head, wiping his eyes quickly and silencing the King of Clubs. "Please," He breathes. "Go away... I want to be alone..."

Gilbert stares at him a moment, then nods, getting to his feet and walking out of the room, leaving Antonio to himself. Besides, he had a wife to attend to.


	13. Shatter

The days that Antonio and Gilbert spent separated were many more than either of them would have wanted. Toni had taken to spending his time in the gardens, silent most of the time. Gilbert had taken to humor Roderich and his new Queen, spending less and less time away from his study.

Nobody spoke much of the siren anymore. He was no longer a prize to be had or a treasure to admire. The Queen found him pretty, but a threat to her social standing and romantic (if you could even call it that) relationship with her new husband, and therefore pretended he didn't exist. The King seemed to be gone more often than naught, traveling to one kingdom or another on some business trip.

Summer came faster than anyone anticipated, the humid, thick heat settling like a cloud over the Clubs kingdom, promising to stay for a long while. It became so heady and hot in the castle that half of the staff had been dismissed and the royal company took to laying about like useless lumps on a log.

One morning, though, on the rare occasion that Toni was invited to the dining table and Gil was present for a meal, the King decided to speak his mind.

"We should go to the beach." He decided, setting his spoon down and looking around at the faces around him. His wife, Amelia, Roderich, Ludwig and his fiancée, and the siren. They each had their own respective expressions.

His wife looked relieved as she pushed her short blonde hair out of her eyes, flicking her blue gaze to her King and smiling. "Oh, I think that's a lovely idea-" she croons, nodding happily. "We could stay there for a few days, make it a family event- oh you'd come, wouldn't you Ludwig? Of course you would. And you too, Roderich. You simply _must_ join us."

Gilbert waits patiently until the delighted chatter dies down, his crimson gaze fixed on one loner sitting a few chairs away from the gathering. He was eating quietly, his gaze focused on the table and his head ducked. He was to be seen and not heard. The Queen had told him on multiple occasions when he joined the procession. After the words were fading and the most of the table was looking to him, he speaks again.

"Antonio comes too."

Instantly the table broke out into pandemonium. Roderich began to speak loudly about how this wasn't a good idea, that he _very well advised against it, You Majesty._ Amelia looked scandalized, then downright angry, arguing about how he was little more than a trinket to put away on a shelf. Ludwig was watching the proceedings with obvious amusement. And Gilbert? He was watching his siren.

As soon as those words had left the King's mouth, Toni had glanced up, his green eyes widening as he beheld the King. He looked happy for a moment; joy flooding him as he realized he was being included. Then he hears the angry and indignant arguments against him and the happiness quickly vanishes from his eyes. The siren slowly goes back to eating his breakfast silently, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

After a few seconds of enduring the argument, Gilbert tears his gaze away from the sentient being and holds up a hand, irritated. "Stop it-" He snaps at length. "If he doesn't come, none of us is going. I will not tolerate him being secluded from his own home, let alone being left here to boil in the heat- Stop acting like children. Antonio is accompanying us. We leave by noon."

And that was that.

The small group left by no later than half past noon, true to the King's word. Roderich rode with the King and Queen, Ludwig and his fiancee went in a carriage of their own, and Toni was put in his own carriage. The Queen had stated she would not come if she had to share a common vicinity with that _'creature'_

.

While on the way there, Roderich and Amelia had taken to desperately trying to convince the King to let the siren free in the duration of their trip.

"It's only fair," the blond Queen reasons, waving a hand. "It would be like dangling a cookie in front of a starving child and only giving it the crumbs. If he runs, he runs, and that should be that."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Roderich chimes in, nodding sensibly. "The poor thing has been through enough, don't you think? Just let him have his freedom."

Gilbert manages to tune them out somehow, looking out the window at the rapidly approaching seashore. One part of what they were saying rang true, though. What if Antonio tried to run away? Should he let the siren go? He _had_ been through a lot in these past few months...

His fears and doubts quickly dissapate, however, as he falls asleep halfway through the journey. The King awoke to a joyful cry not long after, jolting upright and looking around.

" _Honestly,_ " his Queen was saying as she stepped down from the carriage, shaking her head in annoyance. "How loud can that thing be?"

The noise turned out to be Antonio, who had seen the water and couldn't help himself. Now, though, he was silent and withdrawn as the Queen berates him with her usual lecture. Toni was only here because it had been required, he was reminded. He was only here to look pretty and behave while the royal family relaxed.

"Oh, leave him alone, Amelia." Ludwig sighs after a moment or two, ushering Toni away from her. "Wouldn't you act this way if you hadn't seen your home in months? Besides, he's only a baby- You can't train him to behave like a dog."

The Queen stiffens, then turns completely scarlet with embarrassment, which quickly turns to annoyance. "Well he could scare away villages with screeching like that!" She argues, shaking a finger at the merman. Ludwig steps between them, pushing her finger away. "Careful," He says coolly. "Or you'll poke an eye out."

"Come along, Tonio." The blond says, throwing a pointed look Gils way as he takes Toni's hand and leads him towards the sea. "Let's go play in the water."

*****

Antonio was laughing. He hadn't laughed in months, not since after he had been kidnapped and taken away. The sound was bright and clear and so full of joy you couldn't help but feel it yourself. Gil caught himself smiling as he watches his brother frolick about in the water with the merman, splashing him with water and earning a playful shriek in return.

He watched for a while more, smiling still, before getting to his feet and walking over. Ludwig caught sight of him first and blinked, then sputters as he's promptly drenched from the workings of a muscular tail.

"My turn," the King announces, causing Toni to jump and whirl around, his eyes widening. Ludwig looks equally as surprised, but shrugs and heads out of the water anyways.

The silence between the two is awkward and as thick as a blanket of snow after a blizzard.

Antonio wouldn't look at him. He wasn't allowed to, he thought to himself as he traces patterns in the water, feeling hollow and empty. The Queen had told him not to- And what if Gil turned out to be like Alfred? What if he had to run away again? He already wasn't wanted here; that much was so obvious he had to ignore the painful truth of it most of the time. It hurt him physically as he swallowed thickly, focusing on the water lapping at his arms, the seaweed tickling his tailfin. Hadn't there been a time where he could have spoken without fear or being reprimanded? He couldn't recall.

"Look at you," Gilbert says, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Still as beautiful as the day I met you. Or acquired; that may be the right term. "

The siren blinks, looking up at him with a startled expression that quickly turns to one of shame and panic as he casts a fleeting glance to the shore, where the Queen was talking with the Adviser. His fear sent a pang of guilt ripping through Gilbert's own chest as he watched his once free-spirited siren worry about things that should not have even crossed his delicate mind.

"What are you doing?-" He asks quickly, ducking his head and flicking his tail, propelling himself a bit farther away. Just in case.

"I'm admiring you. I'm also trying to make you smile again. I haven't seen you smile in a long time, and I've found myself missing it lately." His own smile falters. "Although... I suppose that's my fault. I haven't been the most accommodating or kind lately. But I hope you will forgive me, dearest. I don't know what Alfred did to you, but Iintend to fix it. I'm here now." At the name, the siren cringes, taking a sharp breath, as if the words alone hurt. 

The King frowns slightly, then moves closer. "Antonio," he calls, his voice soft and a hand reaching out to brush against his fins. "Antonio, look at me."

He doesn't. He was staring at the water, trying to push down all the hatred and anger and hurt and confusion he'd been bottling up for the past few months. He felt uncontrollably angry, his hands shaking under the water. Then, all of the sudden, he snapped. He snapped when Gil touched him. After all these months, all this time of _waiting,_ waiting for him to reach out and say something, waiting for him to stand up to his wife, waiting for him to look him in the eyes- And he chose _now?!_

His tail comes down and hits the water hard, each splash accented by an angry shout. "Leave me alone!" He yells.

 _Splash!_ "You horrible-"

_Splash!_

"Rotten-" _Splash!_

"No good excuse for a human! I _hate_ you!!"

The final splash sent Gil stumbling backwards, flailing and comically surprised. Or it would have been comical under different circumstances. He tried to grab onto a rock, but it was slick with algae and he slipped, cutting open his hand and falling into the water with a yelp.

For a moment, silence reigned heavy and still in the cool ocean air. Then Toni leapt into action, gasping and racing over to help Gil. He pulls him out of the water, already babbling apologies as tears prick his eyes. Or maybe it was salt water, he wasn't sure. Garnet colored eyes met jade for a split second, both wide. One was confused and disoriented, the other heavy with emotion and desperate. Then came the scratching noise of feet on sand, just as the siren lifted Gil's hand to inspect it, trying to make everything better. This was all his fault. He was ruining everything-

Before he could do much else, he was seized by Roderich. The man was screaming hoarsely at him in a tongue Toni didn't understand, his face red and blotchy with anger as he yanked Toni from the water and almost choked him as he put the amulet around his neck. Toni cried out with pain as his human legs returned unexpectedly, tears blinding his already wet eyes. He was dragged onto shore as the man switched languages, growling hoarsely into his ear. The siren hardly paid any notice; the skin of his legs was being brutally eaten away as he was carelessly dragged farther inland along the rough sand.

"You fucking useless fish," Roderich hissed into his ear, shaking him violently enough to make Toni's teeth clack together painfully and his head hurt from dizziness. "I _knew_ we should have left you home and locked you in the basement so you would die, you stinking, putrid, waste of oxygen! I should have you hanged- Or better yet, maybe I should slit your wrists and toss you into that ocean and force everyone to watch as your own kind rip you to shreds and eat you alive. Shall I do that, _Antonio?_ " He spat his name like it was a foul word. "Either way, you'll pay for this, by Ace will you pay for this- I'll!-"

_"Stop!"_

Gilbert's ragged, waterlogged voice rang out over the otherwise empty beach. The King of Clubs shrugged his wife and brother off, marching over to Roderich. "Leave him alone-" He hissed, his crimson colored eyes hard and cold, like the scene of a battlefield after it had snowed and nobody had cared enough to clean the blood away.

"And why should I, your Majesty?" He sneers, looking down at the shaking, weeping siren who simply wanted to explain himself. "He tried to kill you- You should hang him. Tie him to an anchor and let him drown. Cut off his tail and make trophies out of his scales. I'm sure he would make a pretty rug, or a nice set of jewelry."

With each cruel taunt, Antonio got more and more frantic, curling his bloodied, sand crusted legs to his chest and burying his face in his hands, his whole body heaving. This only seemed to egg the adviser on, for he made to continue. But Gil held up a hand, silencing him. "Enough." He says lowly, his posture stiff and rigid. "Go and sit by the fire. _Now,_ Roderich. Unless you'd like me to hang you as well.

Roderich leveled his gaze at the King for a long while, then aimed a hard kick at the siren and turned, leaving without another word. The albino watched him go, then turned his gaze on the sobbing siren.

"I'm sorry-" He was pleading brokenly, a hand pressed to his face as he tried to stop the choking sobs from leaving his mouth. "I-I didn't mean to, I just- I'm sorry- pl-please don't kill me, I promise it won't happen again-" The next words were dampened by another bout of even harder crying, his breath coming in high pitched wheezes as he ran through the list of torture that Roderich had come up with. Would he use any of them? Antonio probably deserved every one of them. "I swear I'll be good, I w-won't say anything anymore- I'll just sit in my room and do as I'm told a-and leave everyone alone- I swear, I won't eat a thing or bother any of your people- I c-can just sit or leave and you won't ever have to see me again- But please don't kill me, please, please..."

The King scooped him up silently, causing the siren to go absolutely rigid. His sobs worsened; he thought he was going to be put to death here and now. At least everyone would be saved the trouble of his existence, he reckoned. "Please, please..." He begged, pressing both hands to his face, his thin body trembling violently with the force of his sobs.

But they passed right by the weaponry and equipment. Instead, Gil climbed into one of the empty carriages and simply held him, rocking him gently as he cried and begged for his life and made promises that broke the King's heart. Promises to die alone, where nobody could see. Promises to starve himself and lock himself away, so nobody was burdened with his presence. Even promises to return home, despite the fact that he had been turned human. Once you carried that mark of shame, there was no going back unless you wanted to be exiled or put to death. It shattered the King. What had he done to his beautiful treasure?

Gilbert waited until his sirens' sobbing had turned into tearful little hiccups, until Toni had finally sagged against his chest, exhausted and in need of closeness from somebody or something. He waited until the pleas faded away and the promises turned to ragged breathing or soft coughing. He waited until finally, _finally_ , Antonio was quiet and still against his chest.

The albino ran a hand through Toni's saltwater dried hair, still rocking him and he shushed him softly, over and over again. The siren's head was tucked against Gil's collarbone, his wet eyelashes brushing against pale skin as he blinked heavy eyelids. His breath puffed raggedly, coming out in short gasps or shaking sighs. The King's shirt was soaked from all of his tears. But that didn't matter at that moment.

"I'm not going to kill you." He whispered into his hair, even as Toni took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes and letting his words wash over him. "It's alright, dearest, you're didn't mean it. You didn't mean any of this. You're not in trouble, you've never been in trouble. I've got you, nothing is going to hurt you now, okay? I won't let anything get you. You aren't horrible or a waste of space, don't listen to anything they say or have said. You're perfect and beautiful, and I love you. I do. I love you so, so much, my lovely, perfect Antonio. Go to sleep, alright? I'm not going to go anywhere. We'll stay right here while you rest. Just rest, beautiful. I'll protect you from the nightmares."

The siren had drifted off as Gil had spoke, having slowly given into the exhaustion and allowing his tear muddled mind to be pulled into the blanket of safety that was sleep.


	14. Metanoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter again, but I'm mostly tying up loose ends and bringing this all to a close. Sad, I know, but I personally love this story and can't imagine it ending any other way than happy. Although I do admit to wanting to kill off Antonio for a while now, but I think I've made your hearts bleed enough for now. So enjoy, and the next chapter should be up soon!
> 
> Also- Chapter title meaning:  
> metanoia  
> (n.) the journey of changing one's mind, heart, self, or way of life
> 
> I just though it fit nicely ^^

As Toni slept, Gilbert took in the sight that was his siren. The one thing that he had wanted for years, that his father and his father's forefather had craved, the being that was sleeping against his chest after having cried himself into exhaustion and eventual oblivion. His crimson gaze roved over his pale skin, dried out and ghostly from lack of sunlight. He took in the dark set eyes, the down-turned silken lips of his sleeping prize. The King's fingers traced too evident grooves on his sides that were his ribs, his touch achingly gentle on Antonio's fragile body. As he looked over the half starved, forgotten siren, he couldn't help but let anger bubble up in his chest and settle to brew in his belly.

It was mostly anger at himself; anger for allowing his new Queen to push this magnificent being into a box and sit on the top of it, crushing his regal ago and self image. He felt anger towards Alfred, who had obviously done something to dampen his wild spirit and tame him in a way nobody should ever be tamed. His anger was directed at Roderich, for forcing Gil to push away his worries and marry a woman who obviously did not love him for himself, only his money and power. He was terribly, terribly angry. And something had to be done about it.

The King sets the siren down on the seat of the carriage, earning a soft noise of protest but nothing else as the siren falls back into his steady sleep, his brow uncreased and his expression relaxed. With a soft smile, Gil leaves the confines and heads back to the group. Ludwig and his fiance were talking, a bit farther down the bonfire from Amelia and Roderich, who were deep in conversation. When each respective party saw the albino striding their way, everyone fell silent.

"So," Gil starts once he was close enough to be heard, but not close enough to be touched or to lash out at anyone. "It has come to my attention that Antonio is not being treated the way I originally intended for him to be treated. And that, I've decided, is going to change. Understand?"

Instantly the Queen and the adviser looked indignant. If they had been birds, the King mused, they would have been nothing but big puffs of feathers that could talk outrageously loud. At once, they began to speak, at the same time and with the same levels of annoyance and frustration.

"You can't possibly be serious," spluttered one.

"It's just a _fish!_ " scoffed the other.

Gilbert listened for all of two seconds before he raised a hand, cutting off any further obscenities that could be spouted from their mouths, for fear of waking Toni and stirring his anger even more. He was slow to anger, but when he got going, it was terrible and endless. In the corner of his vision, the King of Clubs could see his younger brother watching with a curious expression, clasping the hand of the lady beside him.

"When we get home, we are going to organize a ball in his favor. No, don't speak. I haven't finished yet. _None of you_ are going to argue with me on this matter or tell Antonio. It's a surprise; to him as well as to the Kingdom. The celebration will last for days, I'm sure, because he is a merfolk and his kind are celebrated in my land. After it is over, none of you are allowed to give him a sideways look. If you do, I will personally see to it that you are dealt with as he has been by you. We are leaving tomorrow morning. The party will be held in a week. Are we clear?"

The two of them blinked at him, dumbfounded. Amelia looked a bit pale, while Roderich simply gave him a dark look and a nod. Gilbert glances over at Ludwig, who was smiling at his brother. Finally, someone had spoken up.

The King of Clubs nods once, then turns on his heel and heads back to the carriage, where a slumbering siren waited for his return. Behind him, he could hear muttering among the two troublemakers, but nothing that bothered him too terribly. If they decided to cause trouble, then Gil would see to it that they were locked up for the remainder of the celebration. He slid off his shoes, looking down and making sure he didn't track sand into the small space before closing the door behind himself. There he stopped, gazing fondly down at the curled up siren. Toni had somehow managed to fall asleep on the floor, his legs tucked against the floorboards and his arms pillowed under his head as he slept on. How on earth could he have forgotten how magnificent this creature was, he did not know.

*****

The preparations for the party were underway minutes after they got home, and the proclamation that there was a siren in the palace followed shortly after. Toni watched Gilbert curiously as he was led around the castle on his arm, running errand after errand with him. Finally, though, he had to ask something. But he did not speak aloud. Instead, he turned to his natural way of speech: internal and ethereal.

_"Gil? What are we doing?"_

At first, the King was startled, jumping slightly and looking down at the wide eyed, inquisitive creature walking alongside him. But after he remembered their time together on the boat and the first time the siren had spoken, he smiles widely. "Oh, nothing," he answers breezily.

Dissatisfied, the creatures brow pinches into a frown and he lets out the smallest of huffs, still looking up with that intent jade gaze. _"Is it a secret?"_ He tries again, a small pout forming on his lips.

The albino ruler's grin widens and he nods once, blowing his silvery hair out of his crimson gaze. "Of sorts." He decides before stopping, looking down two different corridors and tugging Toni into the left one. "Why do you ask, little one?"

Antonio's mood instantly switches from inherently curious to outright annoyed in a matter of seconds. _"I am not little,"_ He decided vehemently, shaking his head with such vigor that one might be afraid it would snap off. Gil chuckles, turning down another corridor. "Sure you are. You are short, therefore you are little. Besides, I believe I can call you what I want, yes, liebe?" He winked down at the siren.

Toni blushes faintly, turning his head away in order to keep from letting Gil see his satisfied expression from all the nicknames. _"No."_ He scowls, his efforts halfhearted at best.

But already Gil could sense a change in his siren. Slowly and carefully, he was reverting back to his old self. Outspoken and decisive, sharp tongued and smart as a whip. Able to speak freely without second guessing himself. The King felt a shiver of anticipation and excitement thread down his spine as he thought of the upcoming party and his peoples' outright excitement to meet this wonderful creature he'd had the pleasure of coming across. As the two finish their errands, Gil decides he hadn't regretted anything at all about this wonderful and exciting journey that came with taking Toni home with him.

And, as the siren wandered down endless halls and bickered and teased his silver haired rescuer, he decided he didn't mind living here at all.

Which made the upcoming party that much sweeter.


	15. Eve of the Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a filler chapter. Sorry about that!

The ball came faster than anyone in the castle anticipated. Antonio hadn't been able to sleep all week, laying in his lavish bed and dreaming up things he would do and say and what it might be like. He had never been to anything held in his favor before, and he was noticeably excited. So much so that towards the end of the week, the siren would get up from his bed to go and pester the King, who would simply laugh and draw him into the warm bed with him. There they would talk out every worry Toni had, or Gilbert would listen to every silly or wild fantasy the excitable siren crafted in his mind. Soon, though, dawn light would seep into the dimly lit room and they would wake to find the other curled up like two children at their very first sleepover.

The eve of the celebration, Antonio could not sleep. He tried, stubborn in his reasoning that if he did not, morning would never come and he would not be able to see Gil. It was silly reasoning, but it was his own and he clung to it resiliently. This, however, only succeeded in making his nerves even more frazzled and he lie awake for a long time. Finally, he took to pacing the length of his room, peering occasionally out at the warm midsummer night before him from his windows. Finally, he could take no more, and, like a child on Christmas' Eve, he crept down the halls to Gil's room.

The siren's tentative knocking was met with a sleepy face and ruffled silver hair mere seconds later. He offers a hesitant smile, to which the King returns, stepping aside and ushering him in.

"Can't sleep?" Came the familiar question, and the ever present shake of the head followed. Gilbert chuckles, taking his hand and kissing the back of it. “Alright, then. Come to bed and we’ll try to sleep together.”

The siren blinks, nodding and following him to the giant bed. King Gilbert climbs into the bed, shedding his dressing gown as he went, yawning broadly. Toni watches, clinging to his own almost suspiciously. The last time somebody had taken any sort of clothing off or even suggested it, he had been slammed into a wall, and… the siren averts his gaze, shivering slightly and taking a quick breath.

His Majesty notices, however, and frowns slightly. “Liebe…” He murmurs, tilting his head to the side. The siren jolts to attention, flicking his gaze back to the albino, his fidgeting pausing. It starts back up again after a moment, though, his gaze trailing off somewhere else as he does so. “Yes?” Antonio asks quietly, biting his lip.

In an instant, the siren was pulled onto the bed with a squeak, settled against Gilbert’s chest. He stiffens, his sea green eyes wide before he forces himself to relax, exhaling. The King’s crimson eyes were unreadable as he brushed his treasure’s hair out of his eyes and across his cheek, trying to soothe him.

It works, and a moment later he had a purring siren against his chest as he ran his fingers through thick, chocolatey curls, settling against the lush pillows.

”Sleep, dearest.” The King hums softly, kissing his sun kissed brow, brushing coffee curls from his eyes and holding onto him as one would a dear child or a lover. The siren can only nods as the tendrils of sleep tug at him, wrapping them in their soft, tender touches and affection. He was asleep minutes later.

The King stays up until he could keep his eyes open no longer; caressing his skin, hair, cheeks, and brow. Kissing his skin where he could, holding him close and soothing him when it was needed. Tomorrow was all about Antonio, and Antonio needed all the rest he could get.

The ballroom was perfect.

It was draped in golds and deep reds with hints of jade and emerald here and there. The grande chandelier was hung with rubies and gold ornaments, sparkling in the brightly lit room. The floors had been scrubbed until they shone, reflecting like a giants pearly, gold tinged mirror. The windows were shadowed by crimson drapes, reflecting elegantly off the floor. The stairs had been polished, the orchestra set and rehearsed, guests due at any moment. The whole kingdom was invited. Gil walks the length of the room, sighing happily and trying to push away the nostalgia that rose in his throat. He hoped Antonio would love this as much as he was loved by the King.

***

Antonio had woken up that morning to his favorite breakfast; Eggs Benedict and bacon with a pitcher of ale from the cellars. Human alcohol amused him. He wasn't easily influenced by it; it just made his stomach feel bubbly and his senses sharpen only just so. It had been a pleasant surprise, and not the siren was sitting in a warm bath. The scent of warm, heady oils sent him into a blissful half sleep, bubbles tickling his neck and legs and popping gently in his ears. It was almost like when he would fall asleep on the bay by the ocean. The sea foam would lull him to sleep with their gentle whispering and soothing strokes.

It wasn't until a servant gently shook him awake that he realized he had dozed off. He blinks, sitting up and rubbing his face, murmuring an apology. After he was ready again, the servant set to work. He was washed, scrubbed, primped, fluffed, poked, prodded, and perfected until he was standing in the middle of the bathroom floor, shivering and naked. Then was he plucked and waxed and scrubbed down and lathered with different lotions and oils that made his eyes water and his body relax.

Next came the clothes. Precious silks that fit tightly, but comfortably when he moved, the fabric breathing with every move the siren made and complimenting his figure greatly. The material was soft, pulled tightly against his chest. The fabric itself was a bright red, speckled with orange and twined with gold. He rubs it against his fingers, smiling when it he realizes it was the color of his tail. But when Antonio asked, all he got was a knowing smile and a wink from the servants. Gil was up to something.

Once he was perfect and ready to go, the servants ushered him toward the ballroom, trading looks and smiles and whispers. The anxious, agitated feeling from the night before returned as the servants left him in front of the grand doors that lead to the ballroom.

Why was he here? What had he been left here for? Oh well… might as well try.

The siren takes a small breath, throwing the doors open. His breath was promptly stolen away from him at the sight that lay before him, tears springing to his eyes and his hands flying to his mouth.

In front of him stood Gil, dressed to the nines and even wearing his crown and a smile as bright and magnificent as the headwear. He held out a hand for the siren, the masses of people behind him watching with rapt amazement and awe and curiosity.

”Welcome home, darling.”


	16. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale of this fic- at long last!

Antonio is breathless, walking as if in a trance as he's paraded around. Countless ladies and lords bow and admire and whisper and greet him. He holds onto Gilbert’s arm, giving smiles and dreamy nods and countless sighs of happiness. As if his whole being could not comprehend that this many people had come for him- to see him! The King watches, his gaze gentle and soft as he watches woman kiss the siren and men shake his hand in rapturous awe. He watches as Antonio receives it all with perfect grace, astonishment and pride and joy in his luminous green gaze. He felt a rush of affection at each glance he got from the siren. After a little while, he pulled Toni away from the crowd of people.

“Oh- What are we…?” Jade eyes meet ruby and the King’s softens. Antonio is tugged into the middle of the ballroom as violins strike up their creaky chords, filling the room with an air that made Toni shiver and feel a tug at his heartstrings.

“Do you dance, my darling?” Gilbert’s voice is the pleasant taste of berries and cream, the moss on rocks in the middle of the forest, the morning sun shining through the drapes. His prize, his joy, his heart; he simply shakes his head, coffee curls bouncing as his those curious green eyes fall from his own shyly.

“That’s alright,” Antonio finds himself laughing, clear and bright and beautiful, as he’s spun around and tugged closer. His hand is guided to Gil’s shoulder and the other is twined with pale fingers. “I’ll teach you.”

The music swells, dancing through the air and giving the celestial being chills as he’s spun around like he’s lighter than air. After a few false starts, a few stumbles and quiet encouragement, Antonio gets the hang of it. Gilbert finds himself lost in the moment, lost in the beauty he had so easily taken for granted. His grip tightens a touch and a quick peck is placed on Toni’s cheek as he’s twirled, earning a joyous laugh and a bright smile.

All too soon, the music comes to an end; a single, poignant note that made Gil gasp softly. Or maybe that was just Antonio. Applause surrounds them, and the siren tears his gaze away as his cheek flame with color, his gaze sheepish. Gilbert chuckles, taking a step back and lifting his lips to Antonio’s palm, lingering a moment or so longer. “They’re clapping for you.” He murmurs when he straightens.

The siren’s gaze flicks up to him, his lips curled into a soft little smile. And by heavens, if it wasn’t the best thing Gilbert had seen in his life. It was the best thing, to see something so magnificent fall in love with itself all over again.

“I haven’t any idea why,” Toni scoffs modestly, giving his head a little shake and looking away. Gilbert grins, pulling him closer and brushing a few curls from his jade eyes. “Because you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing the universe has come up. Whatever deity thought you up deserves to be praised for all of eternity. Now come, drink and eat and be merry. This is your celebration, dearest.”

After a few drinks, Gil had left Antonio for a little while as he went to greet someone for diplomacy’s sake. The siren had discovered wine and had quite a taste for it. He was slightly tipsy, giggly and bubbly. He was indefinitely less reserved with his words, often referring to some of his native tongue. Many of the ladies swooned over him, flocking toward him as he laughed and joked and gossiped with them.

Soon, however, there was a hand on his arm and he was being dragged away from the group with an apology from a voice that made his blood freeze in his veins.

“Excuse us, ladies, I have some business to conduct with our friend here.”

_Alfred._

The gaggle of girls boo and pout, but file away in little time, calling to other friends or hooking elbows and chattering away about one thing or another. Antonio turns, fighting to breathe as he pulls his arm away, staring at the bright King. His joy had dulled, overcome with anxiety and fear. Alfred gives him a smile, all white. His blue eyes were clouded with greed and poison, his grip quick and painful as a snake’s bite, crushing the siren’s wrist harshly. “Let’s dance, shall we?”

Toni got the feeling he didn’t have much of a choice, even as he was dragged onto the ballroom floor as grabbed onto. His hip was held with bruising force, reminding him painfully of something he had no intention of remembering.

They were silent for a while, as the King’s cornflower blue gaze bore into the siren, said siren gathering his words and his courage. “Why are you here?” He finally decides on, his words hesitant and tremulous. Alfred only chuckles, twirling him around and pulling his back against his chest, his arm wrapped around Toni’s waist.

“Oh, I couldn’t miss this,” lips brush against the siren’s ear as a shudder runs down his spine at the gravelly voice. “A celebration all for you? I couldn’t believe it. _You?_ You’re a fish. Nothing more than some freakish creature from hell, a hybrid that couldn’t possibly be any worth. I came to remind you of your place.” For a moment, Antonio feels a burn in his eyes as his own anxieties and doubts arise. He wasn’t good enough for a grand party like this, was he? He was just… something to be had. Something to make a room look pretty as he rotted away in a cave. He’s blinded for a moment as he’s whirled back around, tears adding to the distortion or the world. Alfred’s cruel blue gaze is suddenly replaced by a much paler, kinder one. A heavily accented voice, much like Gilbert’s, cuts in as he’s pulled gently away from his tormentor.

“Excuse me. I’m going to cut in.”

Toni watches in disbelief and awe as Alfred stands there in mute anger before storming off. A chuckle pulls him back and he looks up at Ludwig just as his tears are brushed away with a gentle thumb. “Now, there. Are you crying? This is a happy event, liebe. Don’t let sorrow rain on your parade.”

Ludwig watches with the fondness of an older sibling as the siren composes himself again, murmuring an apology and brushing his tears away. The two sway a bit with the music, silent. After a little bit, however, Ludwig cuts into Antonio’s thoughts, his voice firm, but gentle. “I would have never expected to meet a siren that was so ashamed of their own person, unless they were searching for compliments.” He chuckles at the astonished look he got, hushing whatever words Antonio was going to utter with a simple; “You’re beautiful, Antonio. Don’t you forget that. Now let’s go find my brother, yes? I’m sure he would just love to have you in his sights once more. It’ll calm his nerves.”

The siren gives him a genuine smile at that, and the two set off to find Gilbert and continue the magical, perfect night.

***

Years passed. Wars were waged, sieges beheld, battles lost, land gained. Gilbert and his wife split not long after the historic party. She and Roderich ran off to some far corner of the kingdom, never to be heard from again. The whole Kingdom expected the King to be dissuaded by it, but he was not. He had Antonio, and for him, that was enough. As Gilbert aged, greying and withering, Antonio did not. Instead, he grew to look older and even more magnificent. The siren lost much of his baby fat around his hips and face, gained three inches on Gilbert and grew a bit leaner and lither. It wasn’t a problem at first.

But then the King grew very ill. He had no heirs, and his officials were worried. Soon he was confined to bed after a rather bad fall, and Toni never left his side. One afternoon, a week before Gil’s demise, he wrote his will, gifting everything to the siren and even handing over the crown to him. There was much unrest in the royal court. None of this mattered to Antonio; not now, not when Gilbert was dying. One afternoon, when he was curled up next to the dying King, he found himself unable to keep his tears at bay any longer. He cried for a short while, before arms wrapped around him. He was startled: Gil had been sleeping only minutes earlier.

“Why do you cry, my darling?” Comes the concerned question.

The siren can only sniff softly, his tears coming harder and faster as the realization that Gilbert would be gone from this world soon hit him. He didn’t want to rule a Kingdom, much less without the King on his side. He didn’t want to stay here and alive while life had been confiscated from his only ally and friend. All of this didn’t need to be voiced, though. Gilbert knew.

So all he did was hold him in his frail grip, until tears calmed and breathing was regulated. Only then did he tip Antonio’s chin up, his own serious and brimming with love. “Now, you listen to me and you listen well. I don’t want to leave this world knowing you won’t go on without me, do you hear? You are a stunning, admirable, beautiful individual and I could not think of leaving my Kingdom with anyone better. Don’t miss me too much, my love. I am never more than a heartbeat away, wherever you are, whatever you do. Do not think of this as losing a friend- Think of this as taking another step in the wondrous life you are going to lead.” He smiles, his old fingers brushing Antonio’s hair from his tearful eyes. “I love you, Antonio. I love you more than the sun loves the moon. I love you more than the tide loves the sand. And I never want you to forget it.”

As Antonio nods, crying and holding onto him and whispering the words back, he closes his eyes. World weary and exhausted, holds onto the one thing he had ever truly loved in his life.

Gilbert leaves the world with a smile on his face, love in his heart, and a hope for the future he had planted in his wake.

Antonio couldn’t have wished for anything more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end. Thank you all for sticking with me thus far- even with such a bumpy ride. Don't hesitate to tell em what to think! I hope you all loved reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.   
> May your words come without stall and you find enough seconds in the day,  
> Reny


End file.
